Stolen
by Leah A Knight
Summary: Set after X3 - In the midst of it all John and Rogue find their way back to each other Stolen features RogueXPyro, Second story Of Thieves and Martyrs features RogueXPyroXGambit Rogue, in trying to find John again only finds that someone else has stolen her heart
1. Chapter 1: Oblivion

**This is my first story ever. Truthfully, I actually enjoy watching the videos of Pyro and Rogue more but one video by Devilishgirl90 called "Stolen" inspired this story, which by the way I highly recommend you viewing. Just to give you a brief overview since the summary did not really do it justice, This started as a oneshot based on the video but the muses smiled on me and here it is. What you're going to eventually see is a complete story of Pyro and Rogue finding each other and their struggle with their own personal beliefs. The events that are going to influence their belief system involves the Friends of Humanity, the Hellfire Club, and of course the re-emergence of the Brotherhood. **

_Cold…he felt cold_. The sensation of a thousand knives that pierced his skin and left nothing but bone and the bitterness of defeat was a pain that John Allerdyce could imagine would be something that he had inflicted on other people before but never did he image it was him that would taste such a polluted loneliness. He had been met with moments of thinking he was going to die in the past but the absence of the adrenaline that were the prelude before made his already sore body feel heavier than it is.

He felt his eyes twitch trying to open themselves against all the dried dirt and what he could only guess as blood on his face. It was to no avail because a part of him had finally accepted the fact that he just might die here.

Death had been so frequent in his life recently that it was easy for him to accept it. He remembered Xavier's passing and witnessed the first ranks of Magneto's army being sacrificed for the cause. He remembered the day that he told Magneto that he would have killed Xavier himself if he had the opportunity and how it affected Magneto. How he still felt the sting of Xavier's death in his psyche, how respected he was in Magneto's burdened mind.

Then his thoughts wondered to visions of Jean Grey getting pierced by the very hands that loved her and the sullen look that Logan had. He could tell that every single memory of Jean Grey was flashing before Logan's mind, every touch, every smile, all those little things that he loved about her. He was trying to absorb her, remember every detail of her because he knew that he will no longer be able to experience any of their sensations anymore.

But death was different for him, John though. Those that had passed away had families and friends that would think about them constantly. They had people who would always miss them and the more he thought about it the more he became aware of the fact that they are not really dead because their loved ones will always carry their memories in their hearts and speak of them in sorrowful mourning. Even after their lifeless shells have decomposed and was nothing but ashes people will still speak of them with remembrance in their hearts.

With that realization he finally grasped the fact that out of all the deaths that he had heard about and witnessed, he really was going to be the only one truly entering oblivion.

_Who will remember him? _

_Who will miss him? _

_Who will even care or notice if he was dead? _

With a deep inhale of breath he let his eyes relax, finally accepting death and the empty feeling that he was going to die completely and utterly alone.

*****

The cold dew of the morning bit at his gloved fingers as he worked his way through the rubble. It was a Saturday morning and very early, a little too early he thought to be going through garbage. The burly man could not complain of course, after all he was getting time and a half for this.

Wiping his sniffling nose with the back of his hand he worked his way through the metal car parts and charred remains of what could only be described as the day the world, or at least San Francisco, almost ended.

"What's the point of doing this now Bob?" He asked his supervisor who looked equally tired and frustrated that the local city workers had been called on duty a day after such a disastrous event.

"Because the jackass sanitation commissioner needs to wipe his ass with our time now suck it up and quit your bitching Joe." He had no patience for complaint today but he could understand the larger man's frustration. What was the point of going through all of this? There was no way anyone could have survived.

He had seen it on the news the way the mutant, Jean Grey, had created a whirlwind of destruction and left the pieces for honest working class people like him to clean up. If it were up to him the mutants would have been the ones to clean up this mess that they had caused and gather up their own casualties, not that there would be any bodies left in this rubble.

"Found anything?" Bob asked Joe who looked like he was just idling by as the rest of the crew pushed through metal, dirt, and debris.

"No," Joe yelled back kicking a bent license plate out of the way. The truth was being here on Alcatraz so soon after the event and digging through the remains did not sit well with his stomach. The way Jean Grey killed the people on this island by turning them into ashes made it a camouflage with the dirt and the idea of digging through the remains of human bodies disgusted him.

"Maybe it's because you're just sitting on your ass while we're working. Get your fat butt up and start getting to work," Bob yelled back at him. With that statement Joe knew that he meant business and grabbed a piece of torn up car canvas from where it bunched near him and tossed it aside.

Taking a step back from the sudden impact of the canvas landing on the ground he noticed something. Where the canvas had been he saw what looked like a body half buried by the debris from the remains of the charred car caked with dried dirt and blood.

"Bob, come quick I found something," he yelled over his shoulders. Leaning down he touched the body and removed some of the blondish brown hair from its face and was startled by the youth evident on its features. "It's a kid, a young boy."

"Dead?" Bob asked while approaching the distraught man. He waved the rest of the crew members to see the scene before them.

"I don't know man," Joe replied and removed some trash from around the boy, not exactly sure what he was trying to uncover. Looking at the adolescence in the boy's face, Joe moved closer trying to search for a twitch, a breath, some sign that there could be life in this damaged body and damaged it was.

The boy's entire lower half was covered by so much metal and car parts that Joe would be surprised if he ever walked again. His wrists were dark purple and blue from what could only look like frost bite or worst gangrene, and he had a deep cut that severed across both his upper and lower lip at an almost perfect angle along with all the cuts and bruises that accompanied the rest of him.

"We need an ambulance here!" Bob yelled into his large communicator. "We got a body; looks like a white male age 16-20, light brown hair of medium build OVER."

"Confirmed," the voice stated calmly to Bob through the communicator. "What is the condition of the identified body? Over."

"Don't know, could be dead or alive Over." Bob responded back looking intently at the boy reminding himself that his seventeen year old son is safe at home sleeping in on his usual lazy Saturday.

"Confirmed, we are sending a chopper right now, standby for arrival," it responded back.

**_*****_**

**_Knock Knock Knock_**

Logan pounded on the door and the echoing vibrations of his forceful knuckles against the solid wooden door forced Ororo Monroe to step out of her office and walk down the hall to the girl's corridor that she advised over.

What now? She thought tiredly to herself. She was tired, so exhausted that her tall slender body dragged itself sloppily down the hall, _it is far too early in the morning_.

It had been six months since the incident at Alcatraz and there was still so much to do, still many more things that needed arrangements. The restructuring of the school after the untimely death of the three leading roles of the institution left her as the only one with the burden of handling the responsibility.

Letting her white hair fall from behind her left ear and cover half her face she looked at Logan, her eyes telling him to explain. "It's a little early for you to be out here Logan," she reminded him of the newly enforced curfews and the gender exclusive halls.

It hadn't always been like this. Before when Xavier or Jean were around they would be able to sense an intruder or the thoughts of hormonal teenagers sneaking around the dorms. But things were different now, they were no longer here and she was just overwhelmed by the amount of work and lack of authoritative personnel. Xavier was no longer here, there was no one to guide her, to tell her what to do, and she did not feel ready or well prepared for such a daunting task as running a school.

"If the instructors break the rules how is that going to look to the students Logan?" She asked him not once breaking their eye contact as if staring at him would make the problem disappear, or at least get him to stop knocking.

He had volunteered to stick around and help Ororo with arrangements that needed to be made at least until she can figure out where to go from here. There were too many classes to teach, danger room sessions to be supervised, that the aggressive lone wolverine finally found attachment in this world, a place where he was needed, and a purpose.

"They should be asleep anyway. I'm MONITORING them. Call it random dorm checks, starting with this one," he brushed her off and continued hammering on the door.

"The girls' hall?" She questioned him. He was always such a loose cannon and they have disagreed before but never had she caught him not staying in the boys' passage during dorm lock down hours waiting in the hall for that one boy that would try to test his boundaries, stalking them and waiting as if they were prey.

"It's Rogue, she wasn't at the danger room session yesterday. ROGUE OPEN THE DOOR!"

Feeling her headache getting worst she lightly touched his hands, gesturing him to quit what he was doing. "Logan, its one session, students skip classes all the time."

"Yeah, well, students don't skip MY classes, especially not this one. ROGUE IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR NOW I AM COMING IN THERE." Growing restless he ran his hands through his unruly hair, "Alright that's it," he said and with a sharp sound his claws escaped their sheath home under his skin as he was prepared to tear her door open.

"Uh, I don't think so!" Storm interrupted him quickly. "At least try the doorknob first, these doors don't come cheap." She reminded him of their dwindling resources.

It was hard to convince charitable donors to support the school without the sway of a telepath that could influence their decisions or the fact that one of the supporting staff had a habit of smoking cigars and showed no respect for anyone but himself. It also does not help that a school of mutants were seeking grants and donations when less than a year ago mutant extremist were featured all over the news.

He rolled his eyes at her and twisted the doorknob, noticing strangely that it was unlocked. "Rogue, are you there?" He questioned as he stepped into the room noticing the silent chill in the room, a little too cold.

His senses never failed him and he noticed nothing. He did not smell the usual scent she left lingering in the room of lavender and honeysuckle. "Rogue?" He asked again approaching the empty bed, "Not again," he muttered to himself, "kid never learns."

"I'll check on Bobby," Ororo said worriedly as she rushed to the boys' dorm all the worst scenarios running in her head. Their two star students' directly disobeying rules and breaking lock down and the gender separation rule, them running off gallivanting around town without telling anyone, or worst, that they had both run away because they had lost faith in the cause like so many potential students before.

Looking around the room he was searching for something, anything, just trying to get a glimpse of what was going on in Rogue's mind. Looking at her bed, he noticed a small picture on her pillow, carelessly out in the open.

Examining it closer he became aware it was one of her and her boyfriend, Bobby Drake, on her first day of school here, the flower made of ice in her hand with a look of adoration in both their eyes. She looked so young back then, he though when suddenly Ororo and Bobby both frantically entered into her room.

"She's not here!" Storm huffed and walked into the room looking around as if in a daze. Bobby followed behind her but instead approached the open window, noticing the imprint of her shoes on the ledge and looked out into the freshly mowed lawn thinking just how far away she could have been.

"Where is she?" Bobby Drake yelled, looking directly at Logan who gave him a look that told him to never use that tone with him again. He is the wolverine; no one talks to him that way.

"I don't know. You're the boyfriend, do your job. Keep an eye on her." Logan said to Bobby as he approached the worried teenager, attempting to get some answers.

"When did you last see her?" The weather witch asked Bobby who replied by shaking his head.

"I don't remember, sometime yesterday." He answered trying to think if there was something he did, something he said that could have sparked her abandonment of the school. Why would she leave the school, why would she leave him? Was he not a good enough reason for her to stay?

"What did you say to her BUB?" Logan approached the boy, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. Before the startled boy can answer Hank McCoy walked into the room, a questionable look in his eyes as he took in the scene before him.

"Well, I hate to break up such a party but we have more pressing issues to address," he said as he looked at Ororo with a slight glance to Logan. "Perhaps this display of male ego can best be demonstrated next time Logan as us faculty members should converse."

"Oh," Logan said guiltily, noticing he still had Bobby by the shirt, the boy's eyes that still held that look of fear and shock. "Sorry kid," he said as he put him down.

"But I'm gonna want some answers later," he told over his shoulders to the boy who was lightly stepping away. "Keep your door unlocked," he said, the voice of Ororo fidgeting back into his mind about how expensive his anger was getting to be.

"Well, shall we move this meeting to the conference room?" The blue beastly looking and articulate man said as he led them into the main conference room.

"What's going on Hank?" Storm asked him as she took a seat at the head of the conference room table, a position she was slowly getting use to being in.

Flipping on the television, Hank thought it best to let the news tell his fellow faculty members. "I trust that both of you have been too preoccupied lately to keep up with worldly events but this is a matter that concerns every mutant here," he said as he moved so that both Ororo and Logan can watch the news channel.

Glancing with wide, worried eyes, Storm read the headlines and absorbed everything the newscaster was saying to her as if she was warning her of an impending confrontation.

Headline: Alcatraz Mutant Extremist Found

**Hi folks, this is Cindy Ortega, and this just in, we all remember that unfortunate event earlier this year where a group of mutant extremist who called themselves the Brotherhood savagely unleashed their fury on the residents of San Francisco. While the Brotherhood had failed at their mission of attempting to murder venture capitalist Warren Worthington the II, founder of the cure, members of the group had either went into hiding or were assumed dead at the site. Well, sanitation workers this morning have found a severely injured member that survived under the rubble of the disaster. The mutant was identified as John Allerdyce who was the assumed second in command to the Brotherhood. Whether or not state officials are going to go through with indictment charges against this young mutant, public outcry has been capital punishment. **

"We can't let them do that," Storm told no one in particular. "It'll start another war. There will be more terrorist groups out there. His death will result in another uprising."

"The president is fully aware of that but the California DA is pushing for a quick trial and sentence. This is causing tension on both fronts. The humans want revenge after all Alcatraz happened not too long ago. The mutant extremist, well, they just want to be justified for their losses at Alcatraz," he said knowingly. "Mr. Logan, any opinions?"

"Let him hang, bastard deserves it, the way I see it, they're just doing it before I can." Logan said bitterly as he proceeded to walk out the door.

"Where are you going?" Ororo asked him. "You have classes in a few hours!" She yelled to his back.

"I'm going to find someone, tell the kids they better not slack off while I'm gone." With that final statement Logan disappeared behind the door, knowing exactly where he was going to go.

*****

**Please review as I don't have a clear grasp as to where I want the characters to go. Constructive criticism is helpful**


	2. Chapter 2: Recovery and Discoveries

*****

It had been unusually quiet today, the tall slender blonde said as she glanced away from her desk and came across her reflection at the decorative mirror that adorned the main office wall. Looking at herself she noticed something aside from her soft pale skin, stunning blue eyes and all the classic beauty in the world.

Yes, it is very apparently that Emma Frost is beautiful and she knew it, reveled in it really. In fact you can say that it was her timeless face and soft body that got her where she was along with other hidden endowments. Aside from her beauty she had an intuitive talent, one that made her invaluable to her organization. Still looking at herself she saw something that has played on her face for awhile now and she was frustrated by it. She noticed that she was incredibly bored.

Pushing herself out of her massive leather chair she walked slowly over to the armoire that grandly stood to the right of the room. Opening the top cabinet she poured herself a glass of red wine and let out a big sigh.

_When did life get so dull?_ She thought to herself as she picked up the newspaper that lay on top of an end table nearby. Unfolding the soft paper, she glanced at the headlines and a small smile played on her lips.

Continually reading the article she walked gracefully to her desk, picked up her phone and dialed an all too familiar number.

"Good morning, this is Emma, by any chance have you picked up a paper or checked out the news coverage today?" She asked the strong male voice on the other line and flipped the pages on the newspaper.

**ALCATRAZ MUTANT EXTREMIST FOUND**

*****

"That is an acrimonious suggestion," a tall, distinguished man yelled across the room. He is angry; the other three men in the room could tell he is very angry. The saw the way his hand met the docket on the table with a loud thud. They noticed the way his clean pressed shirt that was tucked neatly into his charcoal gray slacks was slowly becoming disheveled. More importantly, they saw the way his hands would constantly run through his gray thinning hair with small beads of sweat on his forehead.

"It's what the people want," stated a smaller man who was obviously more experienced than and not quite as emotional as the other gentleman. "We're pushing for capital punishment to be tried under the state of California," Tom Hartley, the DA of California spoke with a coolness that was cemented by the support he was receiving from the rest of the people in the small room.

"Please, Tom, he's a ward of the state of New York," he spoke harshly. "What you are suggestion will violate most precedents involving minors in both states. Capital punishment? That has not been excise in years in either states and to subject a minor to that. The DA will not approve of this," the older gentleman stated as he paced back and forth across the delicately diminutive room.

The appearance of the room was not relevant to the illusion of how small it really was. In actuality it was a fairly large room with vaulted ceilings and a large mahogany desk where the four gentlemen were seated comfortably with papers, pens and water glasses serving as the only decoration to the otherwise bare room. What made the place appear so much smaller was the fact that the tension in the room filled the air with an uncomfortable stalemate that was centered on the docket underneath his hands.

The docket that Samuel Vance, assistant to the district attorney of New York, protectively put his hands on was the spark that erupt the war in the room. The truth was the underlying subject that held the docket started the war long before the men filled the room and voiced their opinions.

When Samuel Vance first stepped into the room he was expecting to meet just another man to go over the plea bargain and procedures that New York wanted with the assistant district attorney of California. What he did not expect was to be seated here with Tom Hartley himself amongst other recognizable faces in the judicial system. If his DA knew about this he would not have sent Samuel Vance to the wolves, fortunately his boss was prepared.

"I agree with Mr. Vance's statement," another gentleman spoke as he straightened out some papers together and laid it in front of Tom Hartley. Casually buttoning his jacket he presented the case in front of the rest of the board with a calmness that matched his demeanor. "Not only is he a charge of New York, truth being told the public outcry here in California makes it unsafe for him and anyone seemingly aligned with him including all public defendants involved in this case. It is a far too high profile a case for anyone in California not to take notice of."

Samuel Vance's boss prepared him by having an official from the federal government here to assist his case. The man that accompanied him was relaxed and confident, two qualities that Samuel Vance wished he had at the moment.

"He's just a kid Tom," Samuel's voice thundered. "They're going to eat him alive out here. He doesn't stand a chance." Samuel knew he was letting his personal opinion get in the way of his job right now but he did not really seem to care. He just wanted justice and the very symbol of justice was the fact that it was suppose to be blind to race, creed, religion and other unsaid discriminations.

"While your sentiments are endearing Sam, he is not just a kid," Tom Hartley emphasized kid with such disgust that it made it seem as if being a child was something so vile.

"Look the fact of the matter is he is guilty of multiple counts of homicide involving several public officials plus treason. If I don't proceed with this course of action the public will have MY head. Frankly, he needs to be made an example of." Barely glancing at the forms he tossed it back on the table. "I read his profile, Mr. McCoy; I know his history and I'm not convinced."

"I'm afraid, Mr. Hartley that if you do proceed with this indictment then another interest group is going to have your head and I can guarantee you sir that their procedural view of the law is very different than yours," Hank McCoy spoke sharply as he gathered the papers that Tom Hartley had abrasively dropped on the table.

"Is that a threat?" Tom Hartley was defensive and sat up quickly, now eye level with Hank McCoy. He stared at the man, if he could be defined as that. Hank McCoy, secretary of mutant affairs with his well groomed fur and blue tones, was losing patience with him and he knew that if Hank McCoy was losing patience then he'd pull out his ace card, the card that every diplomat held when they felt their hand being pressured.

"It is not a threat I assure you, just a caution that the mutant community will not just sit back and watch one of their own clearly being reprimanded differently than any other human in his case." Hank McCoy spoke, never breaking his gaze. The stalemate of the room had all came down to this, between these two very able and strong willed men. Both men with different beliefs as to how to handle the situation and neither one willing to back down, seemed to have all their beliefs vested in this case, in that docket. "They will revolt," he beast said sternly.

"Why are you defending him Hank?" Hartley asked as he swiftly walked over and grabbed the docket out of Samuel Vance's grasp and threw it at the blue haired beast. "He tried to kill you."

"I am not condoning what he did Tom, in fact, I think he should be punished but punished fairly; the course of action need to fit the crime and criminal. There needs to be the same jurisdiction in this case than with any other homicide cases." He said with a hint of frustration and pulled out a legal document and laid it in front of Tom Hartley.

_There it was_ Samuel Vance thought to himself, the ace card, the play that will ensure a fair trial for the defendant.

Tom Hartley looked at the document with anger and saw months of his legal hard work failing him. His knowledge of the California legal system would prove no use for him or the amount of state court orders that he had prepared in advance.

He looked at the document again scanning for anything he can, a mistake, a misspelled name, something to make the court order invalid. He saw no such thing and he should have known that because that is who Henry McCoy is, a perfectionist in the system whose unwavering belief in the judicial order is only matched by his meticulous attention to detail.

There in front of Tom Hartley was a court order for the trial of John Allerdyce to be moved from California to New York, signed by the Justice of the Supreme Court.

"I'm sorry Tom but you forced my hand," Hank McCoy said as he opened his briefcase and started packing away his stacks of papers. "The president is aware of the kind of uprising that this can cause and he is trying to avoid any confrontation from the mutant community. No one wants for what happened at Alcatraz to happen again and he knows that this can be another cause for that," with that he proceeded to the door. "Mr. Hartley, everyone I will see you at the hearing. Mr. Vance, as always, it's been a pleasure. Tell DA Smith that he sent a good man."

As soon as Hank McCoy left Tom Hartley stared at Samuel Vance almost in defeat and asked "did you know he was going to do that?"

"Honestly, Tom, the man is brilliant. You didn't stand a chance." He responded and was about to gather the docket until Tom gestured for him to leave it there.

"Have a seat Sam. Let's take a look at the charges one more time. I might have some questions about New York court." With the request Samuel Vance lightly positioned himself across Tom Hartley.

"Let's get started if I want to salvage a career after this whole fiasco besides you've got your work cut out for you too Sammy, "Tom ranted and started reading the charges against John Allerdyce while Samuel Vance was giving him notes to New York protocol for the charges. While going through the list of charges against his client with Tom Hartley, Samuel Vance finally realized how true the last statement made was. Eyeing the numerous charges and the severity of it, his eyes glanced over to the picture profile of John Allerdyce and became conscious of the fact that no matter what he did this kid was going to suffer.

_One count of attempted kidnapping _

_Multiple counts of treason _

_Multiple counts of first-degree murder _

_Multiple counts of second degree murder_

_Multiple counts of first degree murder involving government officials_

_Multiple counts of second degree murder involving government officials_

_Multiple counts of arson_

_Multiple counts of reckless endangerment….._

*****

She should have expected this, Marie D'Ancanto thought to herself as she noticed the approaching figure coming towards her. Why was it so difficult for people to understand that sometime she just wanted to be alone?

Ever since she had taken the cure people acted differently around her. Before she had decided to become just a regular human again they were afraid to come near her for fear of coming into contact with her lethal skin. Now, it seems that everyone still acted awkward around her, almost walking on eggshells. Some did not know what to say to her, others did not understand why she did what she did to begin with, and the rest just made her feel the distance between them was gradually growing by degree, her devoted boyfriend included.

She just needed some time to think and strangely enough the all too familiar train station was the best place for her to do so. It might not make sense to anyone else but being here gave her the illusion of running away and leaving which meant another option. _Options are always good to have_, she thought to herself.

Options meant she had choices, something she felt she never had before. Who chooses to be untouchable? In every sense of the word, although on a physical realm she was perfectly capable of contact, but it still seemed like she was impervious because of fear. The fear that people had of her never really went away, they just stayed dormant. The ever elusive question of whether or not the cure works permanently was always a topic of discussion at the Institution and reminded people of their fears.

"You know, I'm getting a little sick of this," the savage looking man said as he plopped down next to her, panting heavily. "Why can't you just be a normal teenager and lock yourself in your room and curse my name? Whatever happened to that?" he said resting his arms on his thighs, he caught his breath and looked at her.

"I wasn't going to go anywhere," she told him quietly, refusing to look him in the eyes. The silence between them was always deafening. She hated every time Logan comes running after her but always expects him to. He had an unimaginable way of making her feel guilty by looking at her, as though the prodigal daughter had disappointed her astute father.

"Still, it would've been nice to know where you were," he told her exasperated. "I was worried."

He truly was worried. Her well being became an important concern for him. "Next time I'm bolting your windows down. At least then you have no choice but to use the door."

She understood his concern for her. Her constant leaving without telling him was taking an obvious toll on him. It was not either of their faults for the protective nature that Logan had over her, it just became that way. When you risk your life more than once for the well being of another person, the protective barrier just forms itself around the two intermittent people just like it formed around Logan and Marie.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," Rogue told him defensively.

"I'll believe it when I stop having to save your powerless ass, now just tell me. Does this little venture of yours have anything to do with the Popsicle back at home?" He asked her; fully aware of what her answer is going to be.

"No," she told him quickly and met his eyes who gave her that look of disbelief, "alright, yes," she said annoyed at his intuitive nature. "He's a good boyfriend," Rogue said more to herself than the wolverine sitting next to her.

"Yea, he's a good kid but FUCK! If he's the reason you're running out all the time like this, what's the problem?" He asked her, pulling out a cigar lighting it.

"You know that's going to kill you one of these days," she said as he took a long inhale of the addictive nicotine.

"I'll worry about it when I'm dead. So come on Rogue, if he's such a good boyfriend why are you out here and not with him?" He was getting annoyed by her attempt at changing the subject, more annoyed at her increased runaway sessions. It was the third time this week, he thought to himself.

"That's just it Logan, he's a good person. I'm supposed to want to be with him." Rogue stated with a bitterness that left her tongue feeling raw.

"I don't get it, I thought this was supposed to make things better," she said looking at her naked hands, thinking about her now physically intimate relationship with her steady boyfriend, although Logan still chooses to believe that the intimacy never went far beyond just careful kisses.

Logan chuckled lightly and gave her a quick hug, "you're still young Rogue. Shit like this happens all the time. You can't expect to be seventeen forever."

"Logan," she said looking up at him with a playful grin. "You've been the same age for god knows how long." Thinking about it for a minute a sly smirk ran across Logan's face.

"Got me there kid," he said defeated and laughing slightly, the playful air relaxing them both

"So what now?" She asked, looking for wisdom or other worldly advice that he might offer.

"NOW," he said standing up and stretched his hand out for her. "I get you home so Storm can tear you a new one."

She got up, with her hands tucked in her pockets and skipped along with him. "You won't let that happen would you?" She said smugly knowing full well the amount of torture she was going to have to endure in with Storm later.

"Kid, that woman's got sharper claws than I do," he said and shook his head thinking about the endless ranting he's going to hear from Ororo for canceling classes on her when he gets back.

*****

He heard them. He heard what they were saying amongst the back drop of the beeping heart monitor and light footsteps. He knew they were talking about him with spite in their voices.

His fingers twitched and he felt the pull of the IV line as he moved his hands slightly, trying to feel for something familiar. It was gone, his broken wrist igniter. His mouth felt extremely dry and the foul sent of rotting flesh lingered slightly in the air.

_This is a waste of time_

_He's just going to fry anyway_

_Think he's even sorry_

_What are you kidding? He's one of them, they have no remorse_

Remorse, he thought, that was something insects feel, Gods don't regret they overcome. He remembered Magneto telling him that after his first civilian kill.

He does not know why his mind was lingering to that memory, the moment that he had finally crossed over; the moment that he had finally proven he was capable of being Magneto's second in command. It was different, killing when you're defending yourself, or killing when threatened but this had been a common bystander. His kill had been a low level mutant who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He remembered his name; he remembered the way he looked as he tried to escape the burning inferno. Sam Guthrie, a simple mutant who happen to be there when John was stealing the blue prints for Worthington Labs. He was a common lab technician who didn't attack, didn't even look defensive; he simply opened the door while John was rolling up the layout of the building, startled, he sent a fury of flames in his direction, thinking Sam was a guard armed a rifle that had the mutant cure in its chamber.

He remembered running away and trying to figure out who he killed. Sam Guthrie was an everyday working man just trying to make it, he had a family; he was loved and grieved for. He saw them on the news with such melancholy, four sisters, Paige, Melody, Joelle and Elizabeth, two younger brothers, Jay and Jeb, and a wife, Lila Cheney, whose face was permanently etched in John's mind. He remembered Magneto pulling him out of his self misery and telling him that sacrifices had to be made for the cause.

Thinking about Sam Guthrie made his already dehydrated body thirst for sustenance and with a loud groan he moved his head and tried to wipe his eyes with his hands. Hearing the clatter of guns being drawn, he partially opened one eye to see two uniformed officials with large artillery, the end of the barrel facing him.

"DON'T MOVE!" The taller one spoke, equipped with two smaller barrels on his belt and clad in head to toe fireproof Kevlar. Before John could fully regain his vision and absorb the situation, he heard a set of automatic doors open and a well mannered, authoritative voice spoke.

"Gentlemen that will not be necessary," the new personnel said and as if on point, both men lowered their guns and went back to their station at the door. "Ah, I see you have finally decided to greet us with your consciousness," he said as John harshly rubbed his eyes not exactly sure how to respond.

Finally taking in his surroundings, he wondered why he was back here. The steel, sterile clean walls and the somewhat familiar man in the white lab coat pulling out a clip board was a sight he had long ago abandoned. He remembered seeing him with the X-Men at Alcatraz and could not understand how someone so monstrous looking can be so articulate and calm, especially to someone that tried to kill him.

"So tell me Mr. Allerdyce, how are you feeling?" The beast said as he pulled out a stethoscope and slung it over his shoulders.

"Wa - water," John choked out, his throat having the distinct feeling of chewing and swallowing nails.

"Of course," Hank McCoy said as he poured a glass of water and handed it to the young man. "Now if you can, will you please sit up? I need to check your vitals."

The refreshing liquid poured down his throat with such a clean refreshing satisfaction that John felt like he could drink gallons of it and it would still not replenish his thirst. After finishing his glass and craving more, he let it rest in his hands, and just stared at the man, not moving, not sure what his motives are, and definitely not trusting him.

"Not quite the conversationalist, I gather," Hank said noticing the boy's hesitation. "Well, let me assure you, I mean you no harm. My name is Dr. Henry McCoy and I am your current attending. So if you will please," he said gesturing for John to sit up.

"Is that why you have the firing squad over there?" John said disdainfully, staring at the man with an anger that made his face flare. The two soldiers who sat at the door way snickered to each other and had a tighter grip on their weapons than before. Out of the corner of his eyes he looked to see that one of the soldiers was taking the safety off one of the smaller handguns. He studied it carefully and saw what was loaded in the chambers of the gun, the cure, the wretched cure that started his spiraling downfall.

"I apologize for them but given your prior," he stopped and tried to think of a more reasonable word than terrorist actions. "Given your prior association you can understand why the government would be just a little cautious of you being here."

John nodded understandingly, and very cautiously he sat up. He figured he better do what they say since he had no leverage against them. He never felt this vulnerable in his life, no lighter, no igniter, nothing. There was absolutely no source of a flame anywhere in the room, at least as far as he could see, and not only were two of them armed but the beastly looking man looked like he had no problems, if put in the situation, to inflict bodily harm against him.

"Good, now then," he said as he put on the stethoscope and tested for John's heartbeat, "please inhale." Doing exactly as he was told John took a deep breathe and reacted to the sharp pain in his chest, broken ribs probably.

"Those are some interesting cold burns you have there," Hank said as he averted his eyes to the perfectly embossed flesh on both of John's wrists.

Bringing his hands up and staring at them John saw what he meant. Imprinted on his wrists were purple and blue deep cold burns that were perfectly shaped like hands wrapped around his wrists all the way to the enlarged areas that looked like more pressure was applied by the tips of their fingers.

John stared at them disappointedly, remembering how they got there, that bitter battle between him and Bobby Drake, one of his closest friends, or at least use to be. He remembered the look on Bobby's face as he was consumed by the fire of John's rage; he also remembered how his arrogance had bested him.

_You're in way over your head Bobby. Maybe you should have stayed in school._

It felt good at the time, in that one instance when he thought that for one moment he was better than Bobby Drake, when there was something that Bobby Drake did not have that he did.

He remember Bobby suddenly turning into solid ice that acted as a protective barrier against John's towering infernos, and grabbing both his arms, extinguishing his flames. That battle just reinforcing the notion in John's head that no matter what he did Robert Drake was always going to be better than him; he was always going to have things better.

_You never should have left _

Bobby's words echoed through him until he was reverted back to reality by the coherent voice of the physician looking after him. "You are lucky that you get to keep both your hands. A day or two later then we would not have been able to save them," Dr. McCoy said as he documented John's vitals on the medical chart.

After putting the chart down he took of his glasses and let it rest on the table. Pulling a chair up, Hank situated himself next to John with a look of worrisome questioning. "Mr. Allerdyce, are you aware of the situation you're in right now?"

****

**I know this chapter is kinda slow but it was meant as the starting point of the conspiracy plot. Just so you guys know I actually did do research on the death penalties in California and New York for this and yes those are the names of Sam Guthrie's siblings in the comics and he was involved with Lila Cheney too. **

**So just to give you something to look forward to in chapter 3  
-Logan pissed off, of course when isn't he  
-The introduction of Kitty, Bobby, Jubilee, and Peter**

**-A flash back**

**-Of course more conspiracy  
**

**If there is anyone reading this, I would appreciate a review. **


	3. Chapter 3: Failed Friendships

Temporal Train

Chapter Three

****

"HE'S WHAT!" Logan roared at Storm that rang all the way down the hall. Looking defiantly at the headmistress, Logan felt his muscles getting tense and with a sudden impulse his claws came out involuntarily.

Seeing Logan react that way Storm beckoned the wind to shut the door abruptly before he can leave and cause a bigger commotion than he already did. Little did she know, using such a force had gathered curious students out in the hall, attempting to listen in on the adult conversation.

"He's in the medical ward." Ororo stated calmly, nodding slowly trying to not provoke the savage man even more.

"What's that traitor doing back here?" Logan asked as he turned back to look at Storm, his claws retracting.

Logan had no tolerance for any member of the Brotherhood, former student or not. Ever since Alcatraz, ever since he felt the warm flesh of Jean's blood on his claws and saw the woman he loved die for nothing, he was not the same person. It is a lot easier to blame someone else than face your own grief and that was what Logan did. Every bit of him believes that if Magneto and his army had not provoked and influenced Jean she would still be alive today.

"They don't have the equipment to treat him at a regular facility. He's a mutant; no one is qualified to medically care for him." She did not know why she was trying to explain this to him, it's not like he would listen anyway. As if pleading with him, Storm looked at Hank McCoy for help in clearing up the situation. On cue, Hank got up and looked at Logan with a seriousness that exuded the man.

"Logan, think of it this way, what hospital in their right mind would take in a mutant who not too long ago they saw burning flying cars? We had no choice, we had to interject. There was no way the state was going to pay to have a medical ward built for a mutant extremist member let alone having to build one that is completely fireproof." Hank McCoy had the ability to explain quantum physics to squirrels and still get them to understand so trying to explain the concept of public fear and outcry to Logan was no different.

Shaking his head with disapproval and knowing that he was outnumbered, Logan gave in, "fine," he hated admitting defeat, " but the minute fire ant recovers I want him outta here."

Understanding what Logan meant, Ororo and Hank exchanged an awkward glance and turned back to the angry wolverine. "Uhh, there's some repercussions with that," Storm started very quickly.

"John was a minor when he was indicted. He barely turned eighteen after the hearing," she stopped briefly to see if Logan understood that, "so therefore; he can't go to prison while awaiting trial. No juvenile hall is prepared to take on the financial constraints of having a mutant that can start fires."

"Wait a minute, "Logan started, "So what you're telling me is that we're stuck with that sonuvabitch?"

"I wouldn't say stuck, but we are accountable for him," Hank said adding to Logan's confusion.

"Meaning?" Logan was trying to grasp the concept or at the very least trying to accept it.

"Meaning that we're responsible for any misbehavior that happens to him until his court date and sentencing, we're also responsible for any bodily harm done to him by anti-mutant groups," Ororo finished the thought for him much quicker than she had anticipated.

"Ah, fuck, I gotta play babysitter to him now?" Logan said the hateful disdain evident in his voice.

"Well, ideally, yes," Storm responded, dancing around the subject, not wanting to anger the man.

"It's our only option, Logan. The president is aware of the situation and trusts my judgment." Hank was always so sure of himself that it made Logan accepted the fact that now John Allerdyce, _Pyro_, is his charge, a job given to him by the President of the United States.

"Alright, I don't like it but I'll do to it," Logan said feeling his ears twitch, catching a small gasp in the distance, "oh one more thing," he said and walked over to the door, unsheathing his claws and aggressively pierced the door with it, knowing perfectly well that it was just going to pierce hard metal and not flesh.

After hearing a sudden scream, he retracted his claws and opened the door to reveal Robert Drake, Jubilation Lee, Katherine Pryde, and Peter Rasputin huddled near the door, Peter with a shocked look on his face, in full metallic armor, was moments away from getting stabbed by the sharp alamantium claws and Katherine Pryde, who let the scream escape her earlier, had her hands held tightly over her mouth.

"Who wants to tell the kids?" Logan added smugly. He loved intimidating the students.

*****

Sundays, he hated Sundays. Sundays meant that everything had to be done, all the I's had to be dotted and there was never room for error. There was no such thing as error when dealing with his special clients on Sundays. There were times when he felt so overwhelmed, so nervous, that he contemplated quitting only to be reminded of how special his clients were and how destructive quitting would be to him and his family.

Walking up to the grand building, guarded by two gargoyle statues on either side of the door, he double checked everything in his head one last time before placing his hand on the oversized knocker to indicate his arrival.

With a loud creaking sound, the door opened slightly with no one greeting him. He was use to this; this is how it always is. The fifteen years of work that he had done for these clients did not provide him anymore comfort as he walked into the large mansion and made his way to the familiar passageway leading to the grand ballroom.

"Hello, everyone," he said dropping his briefcase on the table and pulled out the items requested of him. Very ceremoniously, the tall imperial man who commanded the room walked over to the table to examine the said items. He had an air about him that just screamed ruthless and grandeur, indicated by his overpriced charcoal gray suit he wore and the crest on his right ring finger.

"Excellent work," he said, moving a wisp of his auburn and slightly thinning hair out of his eyes, his ascot did no move as he did so because of how precisely pressed it was. Handing the papers over to the woman who accompanied him for her to examine, he turned to face the visitor again.

The woman was beautiful, no one could deny that. In fact there were times he would think about her smooth supple body that was wrapped in white silk and organza and her long always perfectly in place hair, and just gaze at her but always as if on cue she would stare at him as if she knew. There was something about the way that she looked at him, as though unraveling and examining every nervous shudder he had, intimidating him. If the tall gentleman was ruthless, she was even crueler.

"It's all there," the guest said, not hiding his fear. "Just as you called for."

Without even looking at the papers the woman walked gracefully over and circled him, sizing him up and down like she always did for the past fifteen years. Truth be told even though the gentleman earlier was larger and strongly built with an air that screamed privileged and ambition, he was more afraid of what the woman can do.

"Well, Mr. Hartley, I'm sure you know what this means then," she said, her voice equally matched by her beauty, resonant and regal.

"Yes, everything is put into place, the group has been summoned," Tom Hartley told her, he was telling the truth but if he lied for some reason he knew that she can sense it.

"Very good," the king of a man said as he stood next to his beauty. "Now, there is just one interference that might postpone our agenda," he said and looked to his queen who just nodded, "the X-Men, how much of a nuisance are they?"

"Don't worry," she spoke before Tom Hartley can say a word. "We'll find out soon enough, after all, how much damage can they do now that there are so few of them," she spoke with such malice in her voice. "Our only threat was Xavier and the Phoenix and now they're dead." Turning to Tom Hartley and lifting her head up, allowing him to see the full nature of how spiteful she can be, she handed him a document in a manila envelope, indicating that she was done with him.

Without needing any instructions, Tom Hartley exited the mansion, knowing full well what the contents in the envelope contained and what he is to do next.

*****

"Nor will it ever upset me to remember Dido so long as I can remember who I am, so long as the breath of life controls these limbs," Rogue read out loud to the class as instructed by Storm. Paying more attention to her voice and the way her hair swayed instead of her words, he found himself staring longingly at her again. While he loved her and respected her, he still had difficulties at times separating her mind from her perfectly lean body. Bobby paid close attention to the way she moved as she was about to sit back down until Storm gave her a look that told her to stay standing, no doubt punishment for running off earlier.

"Now, Rogue, can you please tell me what Virgil was trying to convey to the readers concerning this line," Storm asked her waiting for an intelligent answer. It had been like this for most of their classical literature class; Storm had directed almost every question at her and gave her the privilege of reading select passages. He almost felt sorry for her until he reminded himself that he didn't have to be the one to do it.

"Well, Aeneus is referring to Dido's suicide," Rogue answered back, not entirely too confident with her response that was made evident by her shaking voice.

"Thank you, sit down," she instructed her to do so which Rogue obeyed. Feeling embarrassed, she lowered her head, almost afraid to look at the daunting teacher. Bobby sensed her insecurity and smiled at her, a sincere playful smile that was meant to tell her everything was going to be alright, the same smile he gave her the first day he met her, although lacking the curiosity it had back then.

She grinned lightly but instead of holding his glance she revert her eyes back to her book. _Poor Rogue_, he thought, _guess that's what happens when you piss off Storm_.

"Hey," he whispered to her trying to get her attention. "It's ok, here," he said as he made a small rose shaped ice cube on her desk. She nodded at him and he felt reassured, although he sensed a small glimpse of guilt coming from that nod.

"MR. DRAKE!" Storm raised her voice at him. "Can you elaborate on what Aeneus meant by the first line of what Rogue just read or are you too busy concentrating on botany," she said as she grabbed the ice rose and used the sail of her winds to send it out the window.

"Uhh, well, Virgil..." he stumbled, perhaps he should have been paying attention to what Rogue was reciting and not to her other assets. "Virgil meant that Aeneus does not care about Dido," he stammered hoping his illogical response was correct. Although usually bright and inventive during class, there were times when Bobby would slip and let his bored mind entertain thoughts of recreational activities.

"I so totally agree," Kitty Pryde added to Bobby's obviously incomplete answer, attempting to rescue him from the force of the headmistress. "What Aeneus so meant by that is the fact that like he understands that his life is meant for a greater cause so in total effect he can't really care about Dido even though he super loves her because it'll only distract him from his fate," Kitty's intelligent answer was masked by her some what high pitched voice and an accent that grew from her suburban valley life.

"Very good, Ms. Pryde," Storm smiled, always constantly impressed by the brilliance that Katherine Pryde held. "For tomorrow I want you guys to think about the idea of fate and free will and be ready to have a discussion on it," Ororo announced as the students hurriedly packed their things and rushed out of the room, leaving a wake of loose leaf paper and broken pens in the room.

"So like what did you do?" Kitty asked Rogue as the three of them, accompanied by Peter and Jubilee, asked her as they headed to the media room to help them relieve the stress of the long school day. The media room has become an unspoken sanctuary of the older students. It was smaller than the larger, freshmen media room, but also more remote and equipped with the finer things. The underclassmen never dared set foot in the hidden media room that was adjacent to the danger room. It was one of the privileges of being a senior; there was always some unspoken special treatment that they had. Of course the fact that the underclassmen were highly intimidated by this group of upperclassmen helped, after all between the five of them they had all clocked in almost the same amount of field and battle time as the remaining faculty members.

"Nothing," she said quietly as she plopped down on the couch after grabbing a soda from the always stocked ice chest nearby that sat next to the endless array of snacks laid on the table next to it.

"Yeah right," Peter said sarcastically, walking to the wall to select an appropriate pool stick that hung next to a shelf full of blue chalk cubes. "You breaking?" He asked Bobby, watching him arrange the balls in the triangle on the velvet pool table.

"She ran away again," the cryokinetic mutant responded for her as he skillfully aimed the cue ball, the force knocking three solid colored spheres into various pockets.

"Again? Rogue, what's wrong with you? You'd think after the last time you'd learn your lesson," Jubilee wondered, taking a seat between Kitty and Rogue on the couch, watching Kitty aimlessly channel surfing.

Rogue always found it amazing that with all the channels that digital television had to offer, there never seemed to be anything to watch, it also did not help that for three girls of generally the same age, Rogue, Jubilee, and Kitty could not have been more different.

Rogue was a private person, whose dark long hair was only matched by her darker past. Having led a nomadic lifestyle before meeting Wolverine and finding the school, her continual guard was always up. Kitty, born to wealthy suburban parents who lived in a small gated community in Illinois, had the opportunity to pursue anything she wanted. Her bright expressive nature always displayed itself as she was never afraid of letting people know how she feels. Then of course, the buffer zone between the two girls, who was always constantly the mediator to their polar personalities, was Jubilee. She did not come from anything special, just a small girl from California whose pride in her Asian heritage was the smiling force behind her strong tolerance level. Regardless of how different the girls were they had a true appreciation for the qualities in each others nature that they found comforting like respect, loyalty, and of course the ever lasting bond of being teenage girls whose lives were made complicated by their mutant abilities.

Not wanting to answer Jubilee, Rogue caught a glimpse of Bobby and Peter playing pool and wondered when she and Bobby had become so disconnected with each other. Before it was Bobby who would make sure Rogue was comfortable and situated before his own needs. Before he would be so willing and excited to ask her to join him in a mutual game of pool or foosball or anything else they can do together. Now, the invitations stopped, though he never refused when she asked to join, but he stopped extending that gesture. _What happened to them?_

"Hello? Rogue?" Kitty waved her hand in front of Rogue's dazed eyes, "I mean seriously, what is the matter with you lately? You're like so zombie."

"Oh, sorry," Marie responded breaking out of her trance. "What was your question?"

"Never mind," Jubilee said, understanding Rogue's hesitation and when she did not want to be bothered, something that Kitty could not comprehend. "Want to play doubles?" she asked nodding her head to the boys playing pool, trying to change the tone of the conversation. Even though Rogue had known Kitty longer, Jubilee will always be the one that understood her better and for that she was grateful.

"Sure," she said tossing the pillow from her lap over to Kitty, hitting her head and as though she were in a cartoon, Kitty's had shifted from the impact and bounced back quickly, looking at Rogue.

"Hey!" Kitty squeaked playfully as the laughter of the boys drowned out her faux annoyance.

"Come on Kitty, play too, it'll give the girls a better chance at winning," Bobby asked her, re-racking the scattered patterned balls on the table. She did not know why but the way Bobby had asked Kitty bothered Rogue. It was a simple gesture, a completely honest request. Rogue was sure he did not mean anything by it but she noticed that Bobby had asked Kitty to join them; he had willingly invited her, even coaxing her.

"Puh," Colossus grunted arrogantly, "Bobby I think they have a better chance if Kitty was playing on our team." He was referring to the fact that, although bright and quick witted, it was obvious that she was athletically challenged. Some would say that for however brilliant this girl was, she made up for it by her clumsiness.

"HEY!" She shouted defensively, standing up and grabbing a pool stick, accepting their challenge. Like the perfectionist she is, Kitty Pryde refuses to fail at anything, no matter how bad she was she made herself believe she was better than she appeared. "I'm breaking," she said in a sing song voice.

Very awkwardly, the petite girl tucked a brown lock behind her ear and concentrated carefully, her eyes never leaving the white cue ball. With a big thud, she managed to break the triangle of gathered spheres but lost her balance and collapsed on the table, the sound of overconfident chuckles coming from Bobby and Peter and amused laughter from Rogue and Jubilee. Luckily, Kitty had phased herself through the table to not hurt herself or ruin the game, but the sight of her poking her head up from under the table as though she were a girl playing hide and seek only enticed more laughter. "Did I get it?" She asked and miraculously two balls fell into the right corner pocket.

"AHHH!" She screamed, jumping up and down. Her soprano voice was so high that it made Jubilee and Peter's eyes squint slightly.

Attempting to break Kitty out of delusional victory, Bobby pulled out one of the balls that fell in the pocket, "uhh, Kitty?" He tried to get the attention of the bubbly excited girl but to no avail.

"Kitty," He tried again but she just continually expressed her joyous victory by dancing about, moving her arms in circular motions while shouting her triumphant joys in an unknown tune.

"KITTY," he raised his voice and she stopped mid jumping to look at him quizzically. "You girls just lost," Bobby stated so simply and seeing the dark black ball that Bobby pulled out, Colossus bellowed loud chuckles at the girl, while holding his stomach, afraid he might double over from the hilarity of the situation.

"What do you mean I lost? It went in." Still not wanting to admit defeat she argued and went to Bobby's side, grabbing the ball out of his hands. "See, it means we're solids," she said matter of fact.

"Actually Kitty," Jubilee interjected a large smile on her lips, not really wanting to hurt the girl's feelings. "You're supposed to hit that last."

'WHAT?!" She responded back not believing that she had lost and threw the ball back onto the table.

"You're supposed to hit that in last. If you hit it in any other time you automatically lose," Jubilee tried to explain to her as she gathered the rest of the balls into a neat triangle and sharpened her pool stick with a piece of chalk. "But hey you know," she grinned wickedly, "if you want you can keep doing that little dance of yours," Jubilee said laughingly and started imitating her in a comical way, pool stick in hand.

"Yeah, I especially love this move," Colossus demonstrated by flaying his large muscular arms about teasing her.

"Very funny," Kitty said annoyed at her lack of coordination as demonstrated by Jubilee and Peter.

"Don't feel too bad Kitty," Peter comforted her; the amusement still lingered in his voice," You can't really beat Bobby at pool anyway." He said gesturing to the quiet teenager who was also trying to hold in his laughter after seeing Kitty's clearly annoyed face.

Bobby's face flushed slightly at the statement. He had never been one for compliments no matter how much of a perfectionist he was. His need to excel at everything was almost as bad as Kitty's.

"Actually," Rogue said, her eyebrows furrowing, remembering a faint memory. "He wasn't always this good," she said reminding them about Bobby's once crooked aim. "Actually, he use to always loose to.." before she could finish the thought the rest of the group stared at her as if daring her to finish, Bobby, lowering his eyes to look at the pool table, had a silent gaze that she had only seen once in his life, the day that he was pressured into battling his former roommate at Alcatraz.

_Think you can take out your friend? _

Logan asked Bobby who, like the obedient person he was, nodded yes. He did not want to tell Logan that he could not kill his friend, regardless of who he had become, John Allerdyce at the time still held some resemblance of a decent person in Bobby's mind. But after seeing what the merciless fiend that his former ally had become, all the respect he had for the Brotherhood member was extinguished with his flames that night. He did not want to but the truth was he had to do it. Pyro had forced his hand and he had no choice but to take him out yet the guilt still lingers over him to this day.

"Hey, Rogue," Jubilee said softly, eyeing Bobby slightly as though waiting for permission. He nodded telling her it was ok to carry on. He did not want to be the one to tell Rogue, it was a sore subject for him; he hated talking about John; it bothered him to even think about him; instead he just concentrated on the various orbs that scattered on the table, shooting each one in with precision, trying hard not to remember how his skills at billiards developed to begin with.

_"Alright that's it, Drake, I've had enough," Bobby heard his roommate's angry voice thunder through the hallway. He was hiding in the large media room; Bobby was hiding because he was afraid of the repercussions of seeing John Allerdyce, even if it was his fault for the teenager's sudden anger. _

_"Don't think I can't find you Ice," John's adolescent voice was getting closer and he could hear approaching footsteps. _

_"Bobby just go talk to him, it's not going to be that bad," Rogue reassured him, paging through a magazine with her gloved fingers. Rogue had been there a month and still she did not understand his passive nature. He hated confrontation and avoided it at all cost, as opposed to his other friend who reveled in it. "Accidents happen all the time," she tried to reassure him again but he found no comfort in her words. _

_He did not get it; he did not understand how he can be so precise in shaping things with his powers and forming intricate sculptures but when it comes to aiming and directing his frozen energy it never seemed to work. He could not control the pressure or aim of his icy blasts and as a result his forthcoming roommate had to bear the brunt of it. _

_He should have seen it coming though because this was not the first time that it happened. He was in their shared room practicing at trying to control his powers, using an old dart board as target. He would have hit the board too and covered it in a frosty shell had he anticipated the faltering pressure of his flares and instead of shooting the ice at the dart board, the chilling blast fell a few feet short and froze the various objects on the nightstand that they shared. There was no sentimental attachment that either of them had to the nightstand; it was what was on the nightstand that had caused Bobby to run. _

_"H's going to find you eventually," Rogue coaxed him, annoyed at his childish behavior. "For Christ sakes, you froze his bed last week, it can't be that bad." Looking at her with wide eyes he shook his head up and down indicating that it can. _

_"What can you possibly-"she was interrupted when John Allerdyce stormed into the room holding up a frozen object in his hand that was too small for her to really see what it was, his eyes flaring and his face beet red with anger. _

_"Where is he?" The fifteen year old boy asked, adjusting his brown jacket and huffing. The minute Bobby heard John's voice; he ducked back in the corner of the room, hidden behind the vending machine slightly. _

_"John, how are you?" Rogue said coyly, getting up to stand in front of him in an attempt to block his view, knowing full well that distracting him would not work. He just looked her over once and shook his head walking as quietly as possible to see Robert Drake behind the vending machine, wide eyes and mouth opened. _

_"You suck at lying, Marie," he said gesturing for Bobby to come out from behind the machine. "Man, get the fuck outta there Drake and grow a pair." _

_Bobby stood next to Rogue, hoping just maybe he won't do anything brash with a girl in the room. John looked at both of them and very sharply displayed the cube of ice in the air to show them. When Rogue saw the source of Bobby's fear, she knew what Bobby meant when he said that it was worst. Bobby had frozen John's precious Zippo lighter and she wondered how because it seemed like it never left his side. She did not understand his obsession with the thing but he was distraught if he even thought he misplaced it, let alone have it frozen into a solid form of ice. _

_Tight lipped and intimidating, John stepped closer to Bobby who just looked at his shoes, trying not to catch the rage in his roommate's eyes. "What the fuck Drake?" he stated not yelling but stern sounding. _

_"Sorry man, it was an accident," Bobby started to rambled nervously. "I was just practicing and there was the dart board and of course its far away from my side of the room and then - I'll get you a new one I swear," he said putting both his hands up in defeat, hoping to calm John down. _

_"I'm sick of this ice accident bullshit," John started. "First my shoes, then the tub, now my lighter, COME ON," he said pushing Bobby towards the pool table. "You want to learn aim? You want to learn pressure control? Grab a stick."_

_Marie laughed at the method that John was attempting on Bobby. However true it is that John had the best control of his powers out of the two, the idea that it came from playing pool amused her. _

_"Yeah ya think it's funny now Rogue," he said using the pool stick to point at her, "wait till he starts freezing all your girly shit. You're not gonna be laughing," he smirked at her and she laughed back uncontrollable, watching John try to delicately burn off the ice without damaging his lighter._

_The sight of the brash and reckless mutant using delicate hands to nurture a lighter made loud giggles escape her lips that she did not notice Bobby attempting to break the triangle of gathered pool balls. Bobby had not only scratched on the break but he managed to force the cue ball off the table where it hit her with a force that bruised her shoulders, causing shouts of pain to supersede her laughter. _

_"On second thought," John said not attempting to hide his amusement from her, "Maybe we should start with foosball, fewer casualties that way." _

Letting the final eight ball sink into the deep corner pocket along with his memory of John Allerdyce, Bobby looked up to examine the now stunned Marie. Her mouth was open slightly and there was a look of disbelief in her eyes as Jubilee finished telling her about the return of John Allerdyce.

"So, that's it," the dark haired exotic looking firecracker said waiting for a response from Rogue. "He's in the medical ward right now, at least I think. They don't really tell us anything."

"But Logan should know," Kitty interjected, "Isn't he supposes to be like parole officer or something for John?"

"Pyro," Bobby corrected her, "It's Pyro, remember," he said as if changing his former friend's name had the power to erase all those years of camaraderie the two had before.

"You ok Rogue?" Peter asked her, noticing that she still have not responded or showed any sign of acknowledgement from such drastic information.

"Yeah, yeah," she said, pulling herself out of her daze, "umm, listen; I have to go catch up on some things. Logan and Storm are still pretty pissed about this morning. I'll see you guys later." She quickly said and excused herself, rushing upstairs to her room, leaving Bobby in a worried daze.

*****

**Well, I needed to introduce the characters so this chapter serves that purpose for those of you that found it rather dense. I know from the flashback Bobby seems like a pansy but that's how I imagined his character would be at fifteen, absolutely nonconfronational what so ever since he is pretty passive in the movies. If you are curious the passage that Rogue read is from Virgil's the Aeneid.  
**

**Also as a side note: Thanks to tenchi and crazy4horse for the reviews, that gave me the extra momentum to finish this chapter fairly quickly.**

Now I do have one request:  
While I was formulating the underlying plot I realized that and this is to quote the movie "sacrifices must be made" so I decided that in order to take Rogue where I want her to be in the end I needed to kill off one of the characters. Now this is not gonna happen right away but I am having trouble debating whether or not to kill off Kitty or Jubilee. Let me know what your opinions are.

Here's some previews of chapter four:  
-Rogue and John's first encounter  
-Mystique and Magneto make a small appearance

-And a better understanding of Bobby and Rogue's current relationship


	4. Chapter 4: First Encounters

**  
I love how tenchi wants Kitty gone and crazy4horse wants Jubilee killed. That's one vote each...what to do?? Well, there are no deaths in this chapter. Like I said, it won't happen for while, the plot has to thicken first, I want you to like the characters before I kill them...jk. **

Temporal Train  
Chapter 4

*****

Frantically moving around her room but not really aware of herself, Marie pulled out her all too familiar black duffel bag that she always had ready by her door. She was not sure what she was doing nor was she sure how she felt about a Brotherhood member housing himself one floor below her so she did the only thing she knew how, she was preparing to runaway again.

Even though John's aggressive nature had never intimidated her before, she was terrified of the person he had become. She remembered seeing the anger in him that day at the clinic when she got the cure, before he set fire to the building, nearly killing her. There was so much hate in him and resentment that she was afraid of what he might do; what he was capable of. She was angry at him for the things he did, angry at the fact that he could so carelessly torture and massacre innocent people. But most of all she was hurt by him, she was hurt that he so willingly left her and Bobby to fend for themselves that day at Alkali lake, as if he did not care about them anymore.

_I'm sick of this kid's table shit, I'm going out there_

_John they told us to stay_

_Do you always do what you're told? _

She remembered hearing him say that, so sure of himself. A part of her wanted to run after him that day and make him stay but she knew that she could never force him to do anything he did not want too, no one could. It was in his nature to be brash and reckless and that was why she really needed him that day.

Bobby and John were true to their powers, always fire and ice, impetuous and careful, which made her feel safe in the blackbird, having her two ever present bodyguards around. Whenever Bobby hesitated about something, John would act, and whenever John was too irrational to think things clearly, Bobby strategized. She remembered many times when their hot and cold nature would get them out of very strenuous situations with the faculty.

They always were around to protect her ever since her first day of school, both of them, and when she really needed that feeling of fortification he left to do something reckless so she did something just as reckless as he would and by flying the blackbird out to the group of rescued mutants, her hasty behavior saved everyone.

Zipping up her bag, trying to forget her disappointment in him, she gathered her things by her window and prepared herself to jump out, a routine she was very familiar with. Unfortunately, this time her guardian, true to his word, did indeed bolt her window shut. Feeling frustrated, she opened the door and stormed out of the room.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Logan's bold voice interrupted her stride as he looked up from the documents that he and Henry McCoy were examining in the hall.

"Running away," she said it so casually not hiding her annoyance at his ever present shadowing nature.

"Coming back?" He questioned, not moving from the hall at all or taking his eyes off the folder in his hands. He knew this routine well, her running away to the train station and him running after her after she's had time to think. Their casual talks that he is not sure whether or not instilled any wisdom or new found knowledge in her but it did make her feel better, that was later followed by their proverbial long walk home.

"Maybe," she tried to threaten but even she knew that she was coming back, she always did.

"Okay," he said then looked at Henry and nodded. "Alright, this looks straight Hank, I'll go check on flame boy now," Logan stated and hastily folded the document together. Looking up, his eyes noticed that Rogue had suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.

Slowly turning around Marie faced Logan and Hank with a look of intrigue. "You're going to see John?" She asked him, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, I gotta check on him and report to big brother, what's it to you?" He was curious as to why she would bother herself with Pyro. It was a small school, rumors moved pretty fast, so it did not surprise him that she already knew he was there. It surprised him more that she was fascinated by the idea of seeing him.

"Can I come with you?" Rogue had asked him in a small meek voice as she shifted her weight from side to side, her eyes wide waiting anxiously for his answer. He was not sure why he said what he did but seeing her that way, not wanting to be disappointed, made the sentence that he had no idea he spoke escape his lips.

"Fine," he stubbornly said, giving in to her pitiful disposition, "This way," he said as he led her down the halls, to the elevator downstairs, leading to the big automatic vault like doors of the medical ward.

"Sir, this young lady is not authorized to be here," one of the militia soldiers, who were required to guard John, yelled as he moved in front of Logan and Rogue, stopping them in their tracks.

"This young lady can do as she pleases," Logan fired back pushing the pathetic excuse for a man aside. "And what the hell are you still doing here anyway? Your buddy left over an hour ago."

"The United States Government granted me the right to stay for discretionary hours, SIR!" He chanted in a soldier like way and saluted Logan, his hand arched toward the corner of his head. Logan gave him a confused look. Was this guy serious? He thought as he pushed the button to open the door and shoved him out.

"Get the hell outta here, ya freaking GI Joe wannabe."

****

_  
_He was not sure what they were doing to him but he knew it involved heavy amounts of morphine because he was always constantly tired and lacked energy. His body must really need to repair itself, he thought, otherwise they would not have kept him so sedated that he could not even feel the sting of the IV line anymore. Of course another theory that worked itself into John's mind was the fact that maybe they kept him medicated as a precaution, in case he were to get his hands on a flame or some type of fire as if by some miracle. His eyes were about to drift back to sleeping reverie when his nose caught wind of a familiar scent. While it had been awhile since he felt the sweet linger of lavender that was wrapped around honeysuckle, he did not forget the presence he felt around such an innocent and calming aroma.

Opening his eyes slowly, hoping to see the kind face that belonged to the fragrance, he was met with something completely different. He saw the frightful glare of the wolverine staring at him in disapproval, not the best thing to wake up to he thought. He should have figured that he'd be here too because there was the musky hint of cigar smoke that dance in the air too.

"What do you want?" He asked Logan weakly.

"Relax, flamer, I'm just doing my parole duties, government's gotta make sure we're not plotting your escape." Logan told him coolly, putting the folder he had been holding on the table next to John after making a few notes in it. "Well, good news glow worm, trials in four months," he folded his arms as he said this. "Then you're no longer my problem."

"Why not just kill me now and get it over with," John dared him, death has long since lost its fear on him, in fact, he just might welcome it right now if it meant he could die with the engaging scent that currently tickled his nose, reminding him of the many pleasantries of the life that he had abandoned.

"Because, thanks to your damn lawyer, it's my job to keep you alive, you can thank me later."

John just groaned trying hard to roll over, the developing bed sore was becoming a nuisance on his right side. He was too feeble to move, it did not even seem like his body was his own anymore. He would ask the angry man to help him but he was afraid he might end up with three very long and clean stitches on his side in the process from the puncture wound he would undoubtedly get from the wolverine.

"Oh shit!" Logan suddenly said, startling both Rogue and John, after hearing a faint voice in the distance. An angry voice that was indisputably cursing his name, struck a slight fear into Logan.

"What?" Rogue asked him.

"It's Storm, I was suppose to take the freshman out on the field today," he said a little stressed at the idea that Ororo was angry at him. It was funny sometimes, Rogue thought, that the only thing that could ever strike terror into Logan's heart was the not so pleased demeanor of the white haired maiden. "Come on," he said to Marie as he headed to the door. When she just stood there, he gave her a puzzled look. "Rogue?" He sternly said.

"You go ahead, I'll be out in a minute," she told him and he looked at her not convinced. "I'll be ok Logan really." She said calmly and he just nodded and left but not before giving John deathly glares on his way out. "I'll be back in an hour," he yelled warning John that if he tried anything or even so much as looks at her wrong his safety would be of no concern to Logan anymore.

Staring at the door after Logan left, Rogue reverted her eyes back to the almost lifeless man on the medical bed. It was strange seeing John like this, so weak so frail looking. _He used to be so strong_ she thought to herself making a mental note of all the thick scars and bruises on him. His messy hair was slowly starting to show his natural dark brown hair color again and the frost bites on his wrists were gradually healing, but he was not the John Allerdyce she remembered.

"Can you help a guy out here?" His horse voice asked her.

"Yeah." She stated simply, afraid to say anything else. Honestly, what more can they say to each other? She contemplated this and then realized that all the unsaid conversations the two of them had was playing itself in her mind.

"Can you help me roll onto my left side," he said as he leaned over. Silently, she tucked her hands under his right side, pushing him forward, letting all the weight rest on his left side. She documented the fact that the scar across his lip extended all the way to the bottom side of his chin.

"Thanks," he said, feeling the uneven weight distribution relaxing the awful bed sore he had. When she touched him he was startled by the warm sensation that normally would have been masked by the gloves she wore, "So, you really did take the cure," he said grabbing her hand before she can move them away.

Letting her left hand get enveloped in his she was surprised by his actions but she did not force her hand away, afraid that she might cause more damage to his already broken body.

"Yeah, you were there," she reminded of how he set the building on fire just as she left, narrowly escaping the incinerating infrastructure.

"You mean the clinic? Yeah, I remember," although he was trying to forget. Not letting his hand escape hers, he started to rub his thumb against the inside of her hand, this simple motion calming him down. "I'm glad you made it outta there," he sincerely told her, the weight of the things that were left unsaid between them was so heavy it made it deathly impossible to look her in the eyes.

"How are you feeling?" She was trying to break the uncomfortable silence between them; she remembered how he hated awkward silences.

"I've been better, and then again can't be any worst than you," he said, trying to mask the disappointment he felt in her. She was a mutant, and not just any low class mutant, she was powerful. Her ability gave her the opportunity to have any powers she wanted and she threw it away, all for the simple carnal pleasures of being human.

"What is that suppose to mean?"

"A mutant without any powers? Come on, Marie, was he worth it?" John said condescendingly thinking back to the struggles she had dating Bobby, the frustrated conversations she use to share with him out of the watchful eyes of his roommate and her boyfriend.

She had not expected that. Feeling offended, as if he had accused her of being a whore, she yanked her hand away from him and as an impulse slapped him across the face.

"AWW!" He yelled the first real thing he felt in awhile. Holding both of his hands to his face he felt it throb slightly. "That good huh?" he told her through the pain, "Hope it was worth the wait for Drake," he stated trying to provoke her and mask his own feelings of disgust at the idea that she and his former roommate were ever intimate.

"You jerk. God to think I was feeling sorry for you," she said putting her hands dramatically in the air. Her soft, delicate hands that used to intrigue him so much. They were always covered as if hiding some secret and he remembered imagining what her forbidden skin felt like under the material of her gloves. They had to be soft because they were still so chaste and pure, _just like her_, he thought to himself. Letting the silence linger a little bit in the air until he could not stand it anymore, he finally looked her in the eyes catching her attention slowly.

"What are you doing here Marie?" He wondered seriously because for as long as he remembered she never made the effort to come see him even when they were friends unless it had an underlying motive that involved Bobby, always making John feel second best.

Thinking about his question slowly she started to ask herself the same thing. Why was she here? "I just wanted to see if you were ok," she lied, would it be a lie if she was not sure what the answer would be? "Are you afraid?" She asked him breaking him out of the slight daze that he was feeling due to the sedatives.

"Afraid of what?" He gestured to the water pitcher on the side of his bed and she knowingly poured him a glass. "Thanks," he said after taking a big gulp. "I needed that."

"The trial, people are angry," she stated.

"No," he said shaking his head and handing the glass back to her. "I'm not afraid and I know people are angry, but I was just doing what I thought was right," he defended himself.

"A lot of people died," she stated matter of fact, trying to detect an ounce of guilt in him and for an instant she saw just a fragment of remorse.

"I know," he answered back. "I should have been one of them."

"John?" She said, "Why did you leave?" She asked him no longer able to stand the question that lingered in the air anymore.

_John_, he had not been called that in a very long time, at least not without spite or burden in their voice. Thinking about her question thoroughly he could not really give her a straight answer, instead he just brushed it off and told her the first thing that came to mind, "to fight for something I believe in Rogue, makes life worth living." She did not really understand it at the time, he left to fight, she understood that, but she could not grasp why he ended up being Magneto's subordinate. "Course," he continued, "makes dying worth it too."

"St. John the martyr has a nice ring to it. Should get my own holiday," he joked cutting some of the tension in the room.

"Oh God," she said rolling her eyes. "Martyrs don't throw fireballs in classrooms," she said referring to her first day of class, the day that her and Bobby met which resulted in her being introduced to the very boy who was the source of most of her disappointments lately.

He smiled slightly at the memory, not smiling too wide so as to not give away the amiability the reminder was giving him. "You remember that huh?"

"Yeah, I sat right behind you, John, come on now, how could I forget." He gazed at her remembering that day so clearly, the timid look she had and fearful nature that first caught his attention.

_It had been a regular morning, John thought. There was nothing special about it, nothing different. In fact the day was so average that it seemed to drag on forever. Math class was the worst; no one was blander than Ororo Monroe who had the ability to make a one hour class seem like four. Trying to break himself out of the mundane lecture he figured he'd start the game of catch and fire with Bobby. It was a rather easy game that they invented awhile back as a means to keep them entertained. John figured they needed something to prevent them from stabbing themselves in the eye due to the nature of Storm's lectures, so the game of catch and fire was born in between all the addition and subtraction. _

_It was a simple game really; John would form a fireball behind his back and toss it to Bobby who in turn would freeze it before catching it. Then he would toss it back for John to melt, creating a pool of water on the floor and they would continue to do this until one of them gave up then they would wager money to see who would be the first to fall victim to the wet and slippery tile. _

_But today was not like any other day, this regular game of catch and fire would change because she was there. Not aware that this day was going to change the course of their lives, John ignited a little fire ball behind himself, preparing to throw it to Bobby. However, before he had time to fully develop the fireball he felt his hands getting colder. It was impossible for him to know that Bobby was in the process of freezing the fire since it was behind him and with a loud thud the now frozen orb slammed on the ground. _

_"JOHN!," Storm yelled at him. "Detention," she said very annoyed and continued with her lecture. _What the fuck? _Bobby had messed up the game! He had purposely messed up the game and now John was the one in detention. Turning around to shoot Bobby the ugliest and most deathly stare ever, his face changed the moment he caught a glimpse of her._

_It wasn't her gorgeous long dark hair that intrigued him or the creaminess of her pale skin. She was beautiful, he can never refute that, but it was the way she composed herself that made John stare in wonderment. She sat as far back in her seat as she can, with her arms close to her, almost afraid of everyone, creating this invisible barrier around her. Her head was down very low and she had an apprehensive look that made John want to guard her. He hadn't notice how long he was staring at her and neither did she until she lifted her eyes up a little bit and almost met his. Very quickly, he turned his head back to his math book, not sure if she was aware of his wandering eyes. _

_Wanting to steal another glance at her, he looked over his shoulders slightly and saw the rose on her desk made out of ice and disappointedly looked over at Bobby who was introducing himself with an intently fixated look on her and from what he can tell, she was fixated on him too. Turning his attention back to the front in defeat he tried not to listen to the quiet flirtation that was happening behind him._

"Hey Rogue," he said to her, interrupting the memory of their first encounter, an exchange that she was never made aware of. She could tell that he wanted to change the tone of the conversation to something of a more serious nature.

"Yeah?" She asked him with wide eyes and a shy grin, the same grin that he was just thinking about moments ago.

Looking at her bare hands and how comfortable she was without her mutation he wondered how she was really doing. He never even asked her that. They had been sitting, letting all the unsaid conversations between them linger for what seems like hours and he never once asked her how she was. Scolding at himself for how self-centered he was, he took her hand in his again, reveling in the softness of her skin and asked her, "How are you doing?"

Surprised by how common of a question it was, she shrugged her shoulders and animatedly responded. "I'm fine John."

"No," he spoke softly again, "I mean how are you _really _doing?" The sudden transition of being invulnerable to corporeal could not have been an easy conversion and he speculated that a part of her had trouble with it. Her eyes turned to the hand that rested in his and she looked away slightly, a hint of pain crossing before her eyes very quickly, but not quick enough that John did not notice it.

"I'm fine," she composed herself and looked at him again, a barrier clearly forming around her. "I mean come on I'm not the one potentially on death row here," she said trying to shift the conversation back to him.

"That's right," he nodded, suddenly reminded of his situation. "You really know how to bring a man down, you know that Marie."

"It's a gift," she said quickly and relaxed her hand, letting her body situate itself at the foot of his bed, tucking her feet under her. It felt good to sit for a minute, she had been up pretty early and the way John rhythmically stroked the inside of her hand with his, helped released the tension in her body.

John was not sure if this was appropriate or not but he figured he was going to die anyway so he might as well push his boundaries. Ever so slightly he delicately let his free hand cover hers so that her small hand was sandwiched between his. Her eyes were growing heavier as though she was the one that was sedated and not him, he felt her inhaling deeply and knew that it would only be minutes before she fell asleep. He too, felt the sting of slumber trying to induce him to sleep.

Breaking them out of their short trance, Logan stormed into the room and was startled by the scene before him. Hearing the door open Marie quickly jolted up from her sitting position and faced the man who was eyeing both of them disapprovingly.

"Rogue?" He asked, not breaking his gaze from John who he noticed was suddenly uncomfortable. "Ready to go? Curfew's in a few hours."

"Is it that late already?" She asked looking at the large clock in the room. She had been here for two hours, notably missing dinner and hadn't even realized it. "Goodness," she said, trying to ignore John's eyes on her as she went walking over to the door, letting herself out. Giving Logan a hug, she bid him goodnight before retiring, leaving Logan there to just stare at the exhausted teenager.

The morphine was taking its effect on John and he no longer felt the need to try to fight it. Not caring that the wolverine was staring at him as if about to pounce, he let his mind drift back to the sweet reverie of dreaming.

"You better watch yourself firefly!" Logan said and cut the lights in the room. Sitting in the pitch blackness, John heard the loud cling and clatter of the locks being activated to his room.

****

He knew she would be here. No matter how much she hated him for abandoning her, he knew that she needed him and she hated him even more for it. Central park had been unusually quiet for such a beautiful day. There were distant sounds of children's laughter and the fast footsteps of runners exhausting their feet but the chest area had been bare, of course it was not like he had any good opponents lately.

Since Xavier's passing, the strategic board game had lost all of its usual flare. He should have just stayed indoors at his grand retirement condo, Magneto thought, but for some unexpected reason he knew she was going to be here. After the events at Alcatraz it was best for him to lay low so he assuming another identity as Max Eisenhardt and quietly retired, being known to the local community as the central park old man who was good at chest.

While his powers did return to him, the degree by which they returned was frightfully slow and he found it difficult to just move a silver spoon let alone the masses of cars that he was once capable of. Letting his queen take his rook, he sensed the shadow that loomed over him who so casually countered that move by using a pawn to topple the queen, a move that he predetermined ahead of time already.

"Don't you ever do anything else?" Raven Darkholme said to him as she sat down in front of him, legs crossed and her left arm leaning on the table. She was trying to intimidate him and he knew it. He was old and feeble now and she, having regained all her powers, was as dangerous as ever. Being in her human form with her dark hair and distinctly strong cheekbones did not make her appear any less precarious.

"Why, Mystique, what brings you here?" He asked her knowing very well why she had decided to grace him with her presence. He had been keeping up with current events and knew she was here concerning his former protégé.

"You know why I'm here," she said and leaned forward a bit more with an intense look in her eyes. There is nothing in the world that can contradict the protective nature she had over Pyro, after all she was the one that initially trained and mentored him before being ex-communicated from the Brotherhood. She treated all of her charges like a lioness, constantly protecting her cubs.

"If you're referring to Pyro then I'm afraid it's out of my hands," he said, not taking his eyes off his chest board.

She just shook her head at him disappointedly, "What happened to you, Eric? When did you become so...so weak?" she placed an emphasis on weak trying to provoke him.

"My dear, no one can accuse me of ever being weak, I can assure you, but in matters concerning Pyro I really am sorry."

There was something he was not telling her and she knew it. He was holding onto a piece of information that she had overlooked. "What do you know Eric?" She asked him angrily as she took her hands and scattered his chest pieces, ruining his game.

"The question is what you know Mystique that you're not telling me. Where is John?" He asked her sternly, knowing that both of them had two pieces to the same puzzle concerning their fallen teammate and they both needed to air everything out in the open, regardless of the past, in order to protect their young ward.

"He's with them," she told him now ready to let him in on her plan that was already set into motion. "He'll be safe from harm for awhile but it won't be long," she said and he raised his hand indicating that she did not have to carry on because he knew what she was going to say.

"Very good," he said and pulled out a small package for her that was wrapped with brown recycled wrapping. "Be cautious, Raven, there is something afoot, I can feel it. As for John, this should help you in your predicament."

Smirking mischievously to herself she accepted his package, not having to open the small box because she already knew what it was. "Thank you, Eric," she said politely and was about to leave until Magneto gave her a large envelope.

"Take this, Mystique, you will find its contents helpful in the due process of Pyro." Giving him a quizzical look she took the yellow legal sized sachet and opened it up, understanding what he meant by that. "Bring him back to me!" Magneto told her firmly and she nodded in understanding.

*****

*GASP* Oh no the Brotherhood...but you guys already knew that was going to happen

**Just so you guys know, Max Eisenhardt was an alias of Magneto's in the comics.**

**I know the Rogue/Pyro encounter was not what you were expecting trust me it'll get better, they have to start to trust each other again.  
****-And John's first day back at school **

Previews for Chapter 5  
-Logan, pissed off, I can never write him happy can I??  
-A better understand of Bobby and Rogue's current relationship  
-A glimpse of why it's harder on Bobby to forgive John than anyone else

**Now this is an honest question, but are you guys getting confused with the plot line?? I feel like I'm trying to weave all this conspiracy into this story and my character development is suffering due to that.  
Be Kind, Review :)  
****See, the more people review the more inspired I am to write and the quicker the updates. **


	5. Chapter 5: Uninvited

Temporal Train

Chapter 5

*****

_I sing of arms and the man who first from the shores of Troy came destined an exile to Italy and the Lavinian beaches, much buffeted he on land and on the deep by force of the gods because of fierce Juno's never-forgetting anger._

Rogue read the passages from the Aeneid to herself. As a means to divert her attention away from the pyrokinetic at the medical ward she decided to get started on her classical literature homework. They were suppose to have a discussion on free will and fate for tomorrow's class and had to cite examples from the book to defend their stand on it.

"Destined an exile", she recited the line out loud and let her thoughts drift back to her conversation with John. It was strange seeing him back and so very different from before. She knew from stories around the institution about his skirmish and untimely defeat at Alcatraz but she had not anticipated the kind of toll something like that would have on his young body. _Fierce Juno's… fierce Bobby's never forgetting anger, _she inserted the lines in her mind, remembering the scorn in Bobby's eyes as Jubilee proceeded to tell her about John's unwelcomed homecoming.

_I guess he has something in common with Aeneus_, she thought linking the fact that both John and the character in her current studies are both without a home. It was getting harder for her to concentrate, thoughts of John, thoughts of Bobby, and thoughts of pool cues and fire and ice games kept entering her mind. She missed how it used to be between all of them but also knew that things can never go back to the way they were, even her and Bobby's relationship was changing and she knew it.

_You're going to have to talk to him eventually _a small and very annoying voice told her. Oddly enough for some reason she imagined that voice would sound something like John and she was reminded of how often he would encourage her to open a dialogue with Bobby thus ensuring the survival of their relationship. Maybe that was why it was not working between her and Bobby, she thought to herself. The mediator that was John had not been present during the more recent tumultuous times of hers and Bobby's relationship.

It made perfect sense, she realized. Bobby hated confrontation and without John there to encourage him, all the issues in their relationship were never resolved, they were just left there to aggravate and erupt until eventually it died. Glancing at her assignment she began to wonder if she will ever finish this reading project. Looking out her window, she contemplated breaking it so she can run out again but thought better knowing what she would have to endure later if Storm or Logan ever found out. Staring at the door she thought for a minute,_ it's late, everyone is probably asleep_. Without needing further convincing she grabbed her jacket and carefully opened the door, noticing the creaking sound of the old floor boards.

Peaking her head out the door slightly she looked down both ends of the hall for any signs of life or movement. Quietly stepping out into the hall she walked very slowly, making sure absolutely no attention can be drawn to her. The punishment of her last breakout was still clear in both Logan and Storm's mind, if they caught her again she would not be surprised if they bolted her door shut too during lockdown hours. As she directed her strides towards the main doorway she heard faint conversations coming from Storm's main office. _Why would they have a meeting this late? _She thought to herself and curiously pressed her ears against the door hearing three distinct voices and one that she was not too familiar with.

*****

"Thanks again for being able to meet us this late, Mr. Vance," Storm said as she lifted her cup of coffee from the table and took careful sips, eyes still on the man.

"It's no problem at all Ororo," he said paging through some papers and court documents, intently looking for one piece of paper in particular. "I know you have a school full of children to look after."

She did not need to recite her schedule to him; he really did understand that there never seemed to be enough precious minutes in the day for all the work that Storm needed to get done. She would constantly be the first one up, preparing herself for the first round of classes that lasted until five, and then danger room sessions with the junior and senior students all the way until eight or nine and of course her nightly meetings with Logan and sometimes Hank when he was in town until lockdown hours at eleven. In between all that she had to squeeze in meetings with concerned parents, fruitless phone calls to potential donors, and all the paper work that came with running a private institution until she was just so tired that her body would retire before she could.

"How is John by the way?" Samuel asked directing his eyes to Storm and then Logan.

"Kid's still alive," Logan muttered, not entirely happy with this meeting. Every other day Samuel Vance would be here to log hours that John was monitored, take notes of his health conditions, and then scold Logan for his lack of concern, as if he had some personal investment in his client's well being.

"He's recovering quite rapidly actually," Hank McCoy continued for Logan. "Given his prior condition of course but I expect that he will be functional enough not to be so heavily sedated anymore."

"Good, good, that's very good to hear," the assistant district attorney said as he was making notes in his docket. "Now, I have to be honest," he told them as he shook his head. "It's not looking too good."

"I know," Storm responded quietly, "What can we expect?"

"Well, Hartley is a bulldog of a prosecutor but since the ball is in our court we can at least know that the jury will be a little bit more indifferent, not much but a little bit more."

"What's your course of action, Sam?" Hank wondered as he respectfully reached out his hand for Sam to allow him judicial reports and court orders on the case.

"Well, we know the death penalty is out of the question. He's lucky we were able to prove that he was seventeen during the crime. You guys are all doing a great job, just keep monitoring him. If I can prove to them of his good behavior here maybe they will be more understanding." While his statements seemed to reassure Hank, Storm noticed that he avoided her question.

"But what can we expect to happen, Mr. Vance?" she repeated only this time more sternly, letting him know that she wanted a straight answer, with nothing sugar coated.

"Well, there has been some minor changes, Ms. Monroe," he said looking at her, his eyes telling her that there was something significant he had been keeping from them. "Now before you worry, let me just say this might work to our advantage."

"What changes?" Logan asked his arms crossed defiantly over themselves as he leaned against the door.

"The case has been handed to the Supreme Court. Before you worry, I want to let you know that they decided to hand it over to the Mutant Conflict Intervention Committee to deal with. Mr. McCoy as the Secretary of Mutant Affairs I'm sure you're familiar with that group." He nodded to Hank who shook his head in agreement.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Shaw is heading that committee is he not?" Hank asked him.

"Yes, and from what I understand he is a very reasonable man," Hank agreed with his statement. "However, there is some pressure on the local front."

"Pressure?" Storm asked bewilder.

"Have you heard of the group called the Friends of Humanity?" He asked them and only Henry shook his head understanding what Sam was saying. "Well, they are a local human rights and anti-mutant group based out of New York. They have a fairly large following and they're still lobbying for capital punishment."

"Well, how effective is their lobbying?" Logan asked from where he was standing, taking more puffs out of his cigar.

"Well, there is some good news," he said and laid the document that he was searching for earlier on the table for all of them to see.

It was a foreign piece of paper to them that was simple and plain and very much discolored from the aging with a bright symbol in the corner.

"Well, that can't be right," Storm said shuffling through her stacks of files, pulling out a document that should have made the one he showed her implausible.

"Is that Pyro's birth certificate?" Logan asked eyeing the two forms. "What the hell? He's a Bong?"

Sam eyed Logan, not amused by the derogatory slang he used, "While I would not use Mr. Logan's exact words, it seems John is an Australian citizen. His mom faked his birth certificate when they came here to avoid deportation. Since Australia abolished the death penalty, the mutant ambassador from there has added pressure on the committee to release John," he stated triumphantly.

"Well, that's wonderful news," Storm said happily, a genuine smile crossing her lips the first time since the meeting started.

"There is one condition. Mr. Shaw is still not convinced. He wants to see John and visit the institution to see that it is a proper place where juvenile delinquents can be placed and of course to assure him that all of my lobbying is more effective than the Friends of Humanity."

"Well, that's no problem, we'll just arrange a visit," the beast said, happy about this new turn of events.

"How is John's schooling coming around, might I ask?" The able bodied lawyer interjected.

"Schooling?" Logan eyed him suspiciously.

"He is attending classes is he not?" When they shook their heads no, Sam placed his hand on his head and rubbed his temples. "You do know that he's supposed to be treated as a delinquent?" He asked them and they nodded. "You do know that it took everything I had to convince the DA that this place will be the best situation for him," he continued and his frustration by the situation made Logan remove himself from the wall and stand looming over him.

"What are you getting Banana Republic?"

"John is still considered a minor and in any facility he would have to attend classes and do services." With his last statement Logan let out a fury gruff sound and involuntarily slammed his hands on the table, startling the young counsel.

*****

Hearing the loud impact of Logan's defiant outburst, Marie jumped and looked around the hallway, trying to figure out what to do. She did not want to listen in on the conversation anymore because she knew it was approaching its end but she was not sure where to go. Her room was far too long of a walk back and she knew that Logan and Storm would catch her out here. Trying to think of a course of action she noticed that Ororo's office was situated at the breaking point between the girl's hall and the boy's. She probably made it that way on purpose so she could hear whether or not any of the younger students were sneaking around. She saw that Bobby's room was just two doors away. Without thinking she tiptoed over there, opened the door because she knew it would be unlocked, and let herself in.

"Rogue what are you doing here?" Bobby asked. He was in his boxers and a gray t-shirt, toothbrush in hand as he stared at her. "You're not supposed to be here." He told her, stepping back into the bathroom to put the oral hygiene tool away.

"Shh," she told him and listened out the door, waiting until it was safe for them to talk. She thought about what Bobby said to her keeping her attention to the noises outside. He told her she was not supposed to be here and it made her think back to all those nights where Bobby would try relentlessly to make her stay. The nights that were consumed by hormonal fires and burning beds, now it seems, the only thing their relationship had was formality. It was her fault too of course, she had become distant as well and saw their relationship as a chore rather than the excitement that it used to be.

"Ok, I think they're gone," she said as she turned around to face him. He was seated on his bed to the side, expecting her to come wrap herself around his arms like she used to so many months ago, only this time he had not asked her.

"What's going on?" He asked curiously. Instead of joining him she sat on the empty bed near his and just looked at him, that annoying voice that sounded a lot like John was patronizing her again to open the conversation between her and Bobby that she clearly was trying to avoid.

"Nothing, I just didn't want to get caught," she said meekly, refusing to look him in the eye.

"Oh, running off again?" He said with the same formality that mirrored their relationship.

"Thought about it," she replied waiting for his reaction, when she didn't get one she continued. "I saw John today," she said attempting at making light conversation. Bobby just turned away from her and walked over to his window, staring at absolutely nothing at all, she had hit a nerve.

"Pyro, you mean Pyro."

"What difference does it make?" She wondered and he turned around with such anguish in his eyes.

"It makes all the difference. Look I don't want to talk about the guy. We're better off if he just gets sent to prison." The hurt in his voice was so evident; she had always wondered why the subject of John was so hard for him. He never talked to her about it; he never talked to anyone about it. Of course that was how he was, keeping things inside and waiting for it to fade; only this time instead of watching it fade into numbness, the wound was festering and boiling over.

"Bobby, he was your best friend," Rogue said defending the frail teenager she saw earlier, remembering just how weak he was.

"Friends don't do this!" His voice raised slightly, anger apparent in his tone. "I don't know about you Rogue, but I never was friends with a murderer and traitor."

"He wasn't always like this," she had no idea why all of a sudden she was protective of John, it's not like he didn't deserve Bobby's fury.

"Yes, he was," Bobby interruppted her. She noticed his body was quivering slightly, as if trying to hide his true emotions and the unexpected tears that she knew wanted to make their way out but he would not let them. "He had to be to just leave like that, to do the things he did. You don't wake up one morning and decide you're capable of killing people."

"YOU THOUGHT YOU KILLED HIM!" She fired back trying to get Bobby to stop yelling at her and to calm down. With her sudden out burst Bobby's eyes met the floor and he walked back over to his bed and sat down, still refusing to look at her.

"I had too, I was ordered too." She saw that he was really struggling with this and carefully she met him on his bed and pulled him into her arms for a comforting hug.

"I know Bobby, I know," she said quietly as he broke away from her.

"I just want this trial to be done with so I don't have to ever see him or hear about him again," he added as he moved his feet up on his bed, fully lying down.

"Uhh, Bobby?" He looked up at her telling her that she had his attention. "He's coming back," she said quietly, watching his brows furrow. "He's coming back to school."

*****

It was nerve racking, the amount of tension that filled the air as the students mindlessly ignored the lecture during their class, slowly counting down the ticks of the clock. They were all waiting for it, they were all trying to prepare themselves, though not really sure how to react when John Allerdyce was escorted into the room by Logan.

Every single one of them knew this was going to happen eventually; after all it is a small school. Each of them took the four days that had passed since the first morning the rumor circulated to plan themselves accordingly. Bobby did so by ignoring everyone's comments and behavior towards the subject, he still refused to acknowledge the existence of such a mercenary. Kitty and Jubilee spent nights in their shared room discussing things and perpetuating the gossip surrounding John. Colossus readied himself by spending extra hours in the danger room just in case he had to face Pyro in combat and Rogue, well, Rogue did her homework because the effect of seeing John had lost its magic on her since she had already visited him before.

_Is that really Pyro? _The students asked each other and themselves after seeing the broken man enter the room and taking a seat in the front that was designated for him. No matter how well prepared they were and how much they played out their reactions at seeing him in their minds, none of them was prepared for what they saw had become of John Allerdyce. He was thinner, his body having lost its former glory, deep scars was evident, particularly the one on his face, and the dark wrists that Bobby refused to look at still had signs of the extreme cold burns. He walked with a slight limp on his left side that Rogue noticed, seeing small signs of a leg brace where the breaks of his cargo pants were lifted up slightly when he sat down.

"Welcome, John," Storm greeted him, "please have a seat and turn to page 148, we are just getting started." She nodded to Logan after that, indicating that she would be fine and he could leave to attend to his own classes.

"Hey," he whispered to Rogue before taking a seat in front of her. She was the only one that did not feel the discomfort of having him in the room. The simple truth being was that the initial anxiety washed over them gradually. She had visited him everyday in the past four days while Logan did his parole check on John. Although no real conversations were executed between the two of them besides minor hellos and stolen glances because the wolverine made it a goal to never leave them alone, they felt the awkwardness around them fade.

Rogue grinned at him slightly noticing a thick band around his left wrist. It was black and heavy set that fit around him perfectly, as though made for him. She had never known him to wear any type of jewelry so to see something as gaudy as an accessory on him was unnatural.

"You look better," she whispered back to him, he only nodded, not turning around to face her. He did look a lot better. Although still thinner than before he left the school, he had gained some weight around his face and some of the smaller scars were fading along with the dark circles under his eyes.

Bobby noticed the exchange between Rogue and John that left an unsettling feeling in his stomach. Nervously watching the clock tick away, he felt the tension in the room eating away at him. It had been hard for Bobby to deal with the aftermath of Alcatraz and the thoughts that plagued him. No one should ever have the disheartening task of having to kill their best friend even if that friend had become a callous executioner. He cannot let himself deal with the fact that John Allerdyce, the pyro, was back in his life and he did not understand why Rogue was so casually accepting him, acting as if the events in the past year did not happen.

"Bobby," someone whispered to him, breaking him out of his train of thought, he turned to see Rogue about to nudge him. "Bobby, Storm's been eyeing you for awhile, pay attention," she said to him and he quickly glanced up at his teacher who in fact was shooting him silent glares while explaining the concepts of their readings. Trying to recover, he looked intently at her, while progressively making notes in the book in front of him.

When he saw that Storm was satisfied with his behavior now, Bobby leaned over a bit in Rogue's direction, "Thanks," he stated casually and out of habit made her a small rose.

_Huh, guess some things never change_, John thought to himself when he noticed out of the peripheral of his eyes the sculpted ice on Rogue's desk. It was hard for him to ignore the whispers and stares that were directed at him. He did not understand why he was attending classes, it's not like he was going to be here forever so the idea of sitting through the mundane lecture only dug at his nerves. As the clock slowly hit three he thought differently about the idea of sitting through the sermon.

When Storm finally instructed them to leave he suddenly realized that he had no where to go. He was not permitted in the danger room sessions anymore, of course it would be useless anyhow, he thought to himself, glancing at the band around his wrist. What did he use to do with his time? Looking at the group of seniors that assembled themselves together storming out the room, he felt the sting of exile hit him. He contemplated joining them in the media room; there was always something to do there even if no one talked to him. Finally making up his mind, he gathered his books and with quiet footsteps proceeded to follow the entourage of students.

"Hey, don't look now but I think we have an audience," Jubilee said to no one in general as they made their way down the familiar corridors. Turning their heads slightly, each one of them saw the shadow that was John Allerdyce following them.

"Just ignore him, maybe he'll go away," Bobby told everyone as he picked up his stride and focused his attention on the approaching door to the senior's media room, refusing to turn around no matter how curious he was about whether or not his traitorous ex-roommate would follow them inside.

Routinely, the five seniors separated themselves amongst the room, finding various things to entertain themselves. John stood at the door and watched as Bobby and Peter walked over to the foosball table assembling the necessary pieces together for a game as Kitty gathered drinks out of the cooler and joined them. Jubilee was busy finding something that would remotely interest her on the television and settled for reading a magazine instead. He caught Bobby giving him a few sharp glances from his game with Peter and Kitty but thought nothing of it; after all, John had tried to kill him too. Then his eyes wandered slowly to the far corner of the room where a small desk stood, away from everyone else.

Her head was turned down, buried intently on the book she was reading while her other hand was writing frivolously in her school notebook. The hair on her right side was loose and hung over her face while the left was tucked in. There was a glass of water that rested near her, the rose from earlier floating in it mixed with a red concoction that he guessed was juice. He knew if there was anyone in this room that would accept his company, it would be her. Come to think of it, out of everyone at the school, she was the one that tolerated him the most and for awhile he thought it was because she had no choice as she was dating his best friend, correction is dating his former best friend. While his best friend status had changed, her tolerance of him had not as evident by her frequent visits.

Slowly making his way to her, he saw the eyes of the other students in the room watching him, almost anticipating his next move as if he would instigate something.

"What do you think you're doing?" Bobby said, interrupting his pace towards Rogue, with a shifty look in his eyes. Not responding right away, his attention lingered on Marie as she looked up at him from her book and got up to stand behind Bobby.

"What's it to you, Drake?" John responded simply, not really in the mood to deal with Bobby's attempt at bullying him.

"You don't belong here," He said coldly and reached back to grab Rogue's hand. "Come on, let's go," he instructed and was about to lead her out with the other students who were slowly following Bobby's suit.

"What? You don't let your girl speak for herself, Ice?" John tried to provoke Bobby, who was clearly annoyed already. Turning around the iceman stood up to John, the defensive stance in both boys was reminiscent of what had occurred on Alcatraz.

There was intensity in the air as the rest of the crowd just sat and waited. Colossus was on the side, armored up, ready to jump in should John make a move against Bobby. Rogue switched glances between Bobby and John, not believing what she was seeing. Her boyfriend, her passive appeasing boyfriend, was taking a stand. "You better watch the way you talk about her, PYRO," Bobby said with contempt that was only hiding his disappointment at seeing his former friend who seemed so ready to reenact their last confrontation.

"If she doesn't like what I have to say, she can tell me herself," John responded, looking down slightly he saw Bobby's fists freeze up. He knew if it came down to it there was no way he was going to win, at least not in this condition but then again this really was not a fair fight.

"Bobby!" Rogue interjected, trying to break the tension and animosity in the room. "It's ok, he wasn't going to do anything," she wasn't sure how true her statement was. The times that she had visited John he was heavily medicated and weak, she was not sure how he would react to her when he was able bodied and conscious. They did not even look at her, did not acknowledge anyone else in the room, just kept their ground as if breaking away would mean admitting defeat.

Before anyone knew what had happened, before anyone knew that someone had even entered the room, Logan had came out of no one and grabbed John by his shirt collar, forcefully slamming him on the ground, his claws greeting the stunned pyrokinetic as it was mere milimeters away from his face.

"I thought I told you to stay out of trouble!" Logan sneered, not releasing his hold on John.

"LOGAN!" A voice that demanded attention boomed through the room, the only voice that would ever have any command over Logan. "Back off," the weather witch said calmly as she gracefully walked into the room. Reaching out and helping John get up she turned back to the savage man with a look of disappointment in her face. "Mr. Shaw will be here any minute, John?" She said turning her head slightly to make sure the disheveled teenager was listening. "The assistant DA is with him, they both want to see you." With that the three of them exited the room, Logan pushing John slightly to elevate his slow footsteps, leaving the wake of the near disaster for the five remaining students.

"What the hell was that?" Rogue asked Bobby who let the cool air around his hands return to its natural fleshy color.

"He was about to-"Bobby started but Marie interrupted him.

"About to what, Bobby? Please tell me what he was about to do?" She looked at him waiting for an answer, her arms crossed over herself. Bobby was not sure how to answer her. He knew if he really dissected the situation he would be able to find a malice conviction behind John's actions that had provoked Bobby, but he could not. John was just walking towards Rogue and Bobby was the one that aggravated the young fire manipulator. He did not know what to say to her, just continued to look at her waiting for her reaction or some kind of response. When she did not hear an answer from him, she quickly gathered her things and stormed out of the room, shaking her head at her boyfriend. This was the second time this week that she had stormed out on him, he noted to himself.

****

"Well, well, well," a tall strongly built man said as he extended his arm to shake John's hand. "Mr. Allerdyce, so we finally meet," he said lifting his hand up to bring his attention to the man sitting next to him. "This gentleman here is Sam Vance; he's the assistant to the district attorney. You need to thank him John; he's been very proactive in your case."

"Who the hell are you?" John said, staring at the man not completely trusting him.

"Oh forgive me, you can call me Mr. Shaw, I'm the head of the Mutant Conflict Intervention Committee. We're managing your case." He stated simply and then sat down, waiting for the adolescent boy to follow suit.

"Show a little respect, John," Henry McCoy said from across the table, not amused at John's apprehension and treatment towards a dignitary. "They both have worked very hard to ensure a fair ruling in your situation."

John looked at the people in the room, not exactly sure if he felt comfortable with the people who would determine what his fate would be. He almost felt as if they were uniting themselves against him because he was not really sure who he can trust here. There were his former teachers who he tried to kill, Storm, Hank, and Logan who almost disembowel him just moments ago. This so called Mr. Shaw who held an arrogant air about him that John found discomforting and Samuel Vance who kept giving him a strange, almost maternal look. Seated next to Mr. Shaw was a blonde woman with thick glasses and a scowl that seemed permanently etched in her face, bundled up in a white suit, probably his secretary, John thought.

"So," John said taking a seat as he lifted his hands above his head to stretch, "When's my funeral?" He asked not really feeling in the mood to go over any formalities concerning his trial. He hated hearing about it, that was all anyone talked about and frankly he was over it.

"The proceedings are in four months if that's what you're wondering," Mr. Shaw said with a smile that seemed almost malicious. "Capital punishment has been ruled out thanks to some clever research on Mr. Vance's part."

"What do you mean?" He was curious now. Before he was so ready to accept his fate, he even had planned on it but now apparently he had to alter his plans.

"Well, we know your history, son. John Allerdyce born in Sydney Australia, arrived at the Port of Los Angeles, illegally when you were two. Thanks to your alien status, for diplomacy reasons, we can't kill you."

"That's all?" John replied surprised by the anticipated judgment and he so was expecting to be executed too.

"Yes, but the minute you step off the school's grounds while on bail you are considered a hostile fugitive, to be executed on sight. So try not to get in trouble." Mr. Shaw told him and glanced quickly at his wrist band. "By the way, how is that little contraption working?" He asked with honest curiosity.

"Oh this?" John said looking at his hand. "It does its job," he said quickly. He was so tired of this. All the meetings, all the long constant lectures about good behavior that sometimes he felt like he would be the one to commit murder on himself. Glancing aimlessly around the room his eyes caught sight of Samuel Vance who kept staring at him and then his wrists, as if he had a secret that he wanted to share with John but could not. There was a sense of familiarity that he felt with the lawyer, he could not place it but it was there.

"Well, then," Mr. Shaw said and looked at John as if dismissing him. Not wanting to be around for the dullness that was the adult conversation he walked out, leaving Sebastian Shaw to his audience, with a well played card in his sleeve. "Now that the boy is gone, there is something I want to show you," he said and laid out blueprints and plans for the group to see.

"What is this?" Storm asked looking over the details of the schematics for what looked like a robot.

"We're calling it the Sentinel program," Sebastian said, looking over at the woman next to him who was typing away at her computer.

"What is it suppose to do?" Logan said curiously.

"This, my boy, is the next step in aggressive resolution," he said proudly. "It's a robot that has the ability to detect a mutant's power. Not only that but it is heavily armed and has an artificial intelligence that is controlled by a main station."

"What is the purpose of this program?" Hank McCoy asked a little concerned that this robot seemed like a means to an end.

"The purpose of this program is to ensure that Alcatraz never happens again. In the event that there is another uprising one of these robots will be activated to help solve the issue. It's only programmed to contain and not kill."

"I don't know how I feel about that," Logan said his eyes glancing slightly at the blonde's exposed bosom, which in turn resulted in a dangerous glare from her end. "Who's to say it won't attack all mutants?"

"Well, that's the beauty of it, the committee is put in charge of it and only as a group can we vote to activate it, each member with a piece of a key." Mr. Shaw said a little annoyed at the process but hid it well behind his diplomatic demeanor. "Hank, since you have a seat on this committee, I hope you can support me in its passing," he stated and Henry McCoy just nodded.

"I am a little skeptical about this but we shall see at the next committee meeting. Until then, I do believe you are on a time restraint," the beast said and got up signifying the end of the meeting.

Samuel Vance stared at the blueprints for a very long time. He replayed the meeting over and over again in his head, the way that Shaw tailored himself to try to please and coax the beast, the way that he faked a genuine concern for John, and the way that the woman next to him, who kept staring at Sam in an unnerving way, made Samuel Vance apprehensive. There was something he was missing from the conversation, some piece of a puzzle that he overlooked. As he gathered up his things and proceeded to exit the room with the group he noticed the woman who accompanied Mr. Shaw giving him a sideways glance, as if daring him to make a move.

****

**I know I am quoting from the Aeneid a lot but it will serve its purpose later.  
So just a rundown on the villian list we have the brotherhood, the hellfire club, and now apparently sentinels, you're probably thinking what kind of a sadistic author am I to have to put them through so much. Trust me it'll all weave together in the end. In fact if any of you can guess what I have planned then by all means let me know, it'll be fun for me to have to think of new ways to change the plot to surprise you guys. **

**Preview for Chapter 6:**

**-Rogue and John develop a deep understanding of each other**

**-More conspiracy**

**-Reasons why Rogue likes Jubilee just a tad bit more than Kitty but just a tad bit (to quote tenchi)**

**Reviews make the world go around or at least a motivation for me to update more and right now crazy4horse, you're my only motivation**


	6. Chapter 6: Real

Temporal Train

Chapter 6

****

"UGG!" Marie yelled to herself as she closed her book and set it on her bed. She was really frustrated by her lack of concentration on her homework. Her mind kept flashing back to the events that occurred earlier in the media room. She wondered if this was going to be the norm now, John and Bobby, two boys who were a constant force in her life but at the same time conflicting forces in each others lives.

_Why can't things just go back to the way they were? _Because, she told herself, things change, they always do, you can't change that. Looking at the four walls of her room she glanced over at her duffel bag that stood by her door. She had been here all day, only leaving to bring dinner back to her room, trying to avoid Bobby at all costs. She knew the conversation is approaching between them soon, the conversation that happens to every couple who are young with adolescent love, they grow up.

Without a second thought she grabbed her bag and opened the door looking to her left first for signs of Logan or Storm. They had been preoccupied lately with the distinguished visitors earlier so they should be exhausted by now. Turning quickly to her right she was startled by the sudden appearance and apparent closeness of the equally startled man before her. He was so close to her that if she turned anymore sharply, they would have collided, thus ensuring her breakout terminal.

"John!" She said quickly, waiting for her heart rate to steady itself. "God, you scared me."

"Just passing by," he said but stayed standing there. She shook her head in acknowledgement and waited for him to walk across her to go wherever it was that he was destined. But he just stayed there, looking at her, as if waiting for her to leave first.

"What? Aren't you going to go?" She asked him curiously as she stepped back inside her room, letting go of the notion of a few moments of peace. He stayed standing at her doorway and kept looking at her still waiting, it made her nervous. "What is it, John?" She asked him quietly, letting her bag fall onto the ground.

"Going somewhere?" He asked her pointing at the carrier that was situated near the door. Not asking for her approval, he stepped into her room and closed the door behind him. "Still running away huh Marie?" He more so told her than asked her, his mind remembering the long nights that she would be gone to think and his sleeplessness in knowing that she was out there alone.

"I was going too, but Logan's not making it any easier," she said gesturing to her window. He walked over and examined it closer, noticing the bolts at the corners. Looking at it, he chuckled and turned back to her to see her brows furrow in frustration. Motioning for her to move her legs, he sat on her bed and picked up the book that lay in his way.

"Can you believe we have to read this?" John said trying to keep the conversation light.

"I don't know I kind of like it, I think I can relate to Dido" she said moving her eyes to the book, almost afraid to look at him.

"Hey, Rogue," he said in that serious voice that Rogue recognized so well.

"Yeah?"

"I never did tell you thanks for visiting me all those times did I?" He said staring at absolutely nothing at all as long as he did not have to stare at her face, afraid he would give away too much.

"It's ok. I'm sorry about earlier with Bobby," she started but his sudden movement of lifting his hands on his thigh and staring at her made her words stammer.

"No, it's not your fault. Bobby has every reason to hate me," he stated matter of fact, letting his mind drift slightly to the unpleasant memories at Alcatraz.

"You know he's very different now," she told him. "Things are different now," she said turning her eyes away from him.

"Well, you can't expect things to stay the same forever," he told her very gently, not wanting to upset her more than she obviously was. He saw the same look she had in her eyes, a very familiar look that he was used to seeing during their many late night conversations back before Alkali Lake happened. It was a look of solemn pain and avoidance that could only have to do with her boyfriend. "You're going to have to talk to him eventually," he stated so calmly.

"What?" She asked, shocked by his words, the same words that she constantly heard in her head especially after his sudden departure.

"Talk to him, you know how he is, guy's got no balls." She smiled a bit at his choice of words; he was never one for subtlety.

"Yeah," she nodded at him understanding what he meant. "I will…" She said letting her words trail off.

They sat that way for awhile, just staring at each other or haplessly find interest with some other object in her room, neither wanting to be the one to bring up past wounds but knew eventually they had too.

"Why did you leave?" She asked him the same question the first time she saw him at the medical ward, that very question that he did not exactly give her a proper answer too.

"I told you, to fight for what I believe in." He responded back just dancing around the real answer she wanted.

"And what do you believe in, John?"

He was startled by that, thinking really hard he responded back to her with assurance in his answer, "I believe that we shouldn't have to hide who we are."

"Well, I do too, but it doesn't mean we have to kill everyone to do it."

"Do you really Marie? Do you really believe in that?" He was staring her down and she felt it.

"Well, yeah, we can all live together in peace you know, just like Professor Xavier said."

"Then why did you take the cure?" His question came from out of nowhere and it shocked her to hear it. It baffled her to hear the contradictions to her words.

"I-I don't think killing innocent people is the solution to anything, John." She was trying to change the subject and he knew it so he let it go.

"Neither do I," he heard himself say, hearing the screams of Sam Guthrie replaying itself in his mind. "I was only defending who I am, Rogue. That cure, this," he said pointing to the black band on his wrist, "is everything they're doing to try to keep us from doing that. It's called self preservation, kill or be killed."

She did not hear his last words; her eyes were fixated on the cuffs that wrapped around his wrists, tilting her head to get a better look at it she asked him, "What is that?"

"I guess you can call it a mutant cuff," he said disdainfully.

"What?"

"It suppresses our powers. Kinda like the cure but not permanent, court order. I think they call it the immunity band," he said touching the bracelet with an empty look in his eyes. He felt lost and wrong with the band on, not having control of his powers, not having control of who he is. Trying to stifle the thought, he took out his lighter and started to open and close it.

"Then why do you still need that?" She asked and stared at his hand that was making the noise. Even though he knows he can't control the flame inside the tiny box anymore, having it around and hearing the clink and clank of it opening and closing gave him the illusion that he did have his powers, that he was whole.

"I guess you can call it habit, kinda makes me feel like I can still control it, makes me feel whole," he said and opened it up, rolling the igniter and watching the spark bring to life a flame. "You know what they say about a mutant without powers," he said closing it again.

"What?"

"Like a boat without paddles," he said knowingly and then put the lighter back in his pocket.

"You're so weird," she said shaking her head at him. "I will never understand you."

"Yeah well, you're probably the one that does."

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

"Mutant without powers, by the way how is that working out for you?" He said and watched her face change, sinking into a small depression. Not realizing the impact of his words, he ever so gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, letting her head rest on the crook of his neck. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"No, it's ok, I get it," she told him and pulled away slightly, not wanting him to see the weakness in her eyes. "I'm a traitor to my own kind. I guess we do have a lot in common." Letting her words sink in, he stood up, towering over her.

"Why did you do it, Marie? Was it really for him?" She looked up at him, contemplatively. There really was nothing that she can say to get him to understand the burden of her gift, instead she got up and let every single frustration she had with her powers speak for her.

"Do you really want to know why, John?" She asked him, gazing into his eyes, waiting for his approval for her to continue.

"Yeah, enlighten me."

"Sure you can handle it?" When he nodded she very slowly, ever so gracefully, lifted her hand and pressed it against the side of his face.

"A hug," she said, letting her hand travel all the way down his face and under his chin. He closed his eyes and inhaled slightly at the simple and breathtaking gesture.

"A kiss," her fingers ran across his lips, barely grazing his scar as she said this and his lips parted faintly at the contact.

"Just a simple touch to know that it's real, that I'm real," she told him moving her hand up and letting it ruffle parts of his hair, just above his ear. Before her hand could find itself further up his face he grabbed it and pulled it down, placing it just above his chest.

"Look at me, Rogue," he said finally opening his eyes to stare at her captivatingly beautiful brown orbs. "You're real to me, don't ever forget that."

*****

He had been waiting a long time. It was trying his patience to wait for such a pathetic and insignificant man but he was told that he would be justified by the wait. Staring at what would be his fifth cup of coffee he lifted his hand to draw the attention of the server, wordlessly telling her that he demanded satisfaction. He was not sure why a man like him was subjected to meeting in a place so below him. The small diner smelt of fried grease and cigarette burns and he questioned whether or not his utensils were even clean. He tolerated it knowing exactly the level of authority that came from the arrangement of this meeting. Just when he felt his nerves were about to excuse him from this god forsaken place, a man in a black suit, carrying a briefcase walked towards his table, from his attire he was noticeably out of place and took a seat in front of him.

"I'm so sorry I am late," Tom Hartley said as he instructed the server to bring him a cup of coffee as well. "I was held up at a hearing," he tried to excuse himself.

"Well, it took you long enough, but I understand your…circumstances," the gentleman said as he lifted his cup and took a small sip. "I was told you had something useful for me, some instructions?"

"Yes," Tom Hartley said and pulled out a folder for his business associate and laid out the contents for him to see, who intently examined the blueprints and plans that were before him.

"Is this accurate?" He asked Tom who shook his head yes.

"She documented it herself, every single passage way both public and secret are on there."

"And these plans?" He said referring to the detailed outline of a manufactured device.

"From the source, itself," the nervous lawyer said with confidence.

"Good, good, I've been waiting for this," the larger man said with malevolent intentions in his eyes. "It's about time those _X-Men_ got what was coming to them."

"You are aware what is going to happen right?" Tom Hartley asked him, still not convinced of this man's ability to follow through with the instructions.

"Yes, yes, sacrifices has to be made," he said and gathered up the blueprints to the Xavier Institution and without even bothering to formally thank Tom Hartley for the plans, walked out with ambitious directives.

*****

"Rogue?" Jubilee questioned from the other side of the door, not hearing a response, she opened the door to find a scene that not only shocked her but made her question the motives of her friend. She stood in the door way, her eyes switching from the disheveled John Allerdyce who was shaking his head, as if shaking himself out of some kind of dream and Marie D'Ancanto who held her hand closely to herself, also refusing to look at John. "Hey, is everything ok?" She asked her friend, waiting for a valid response as to why both teens were so apprehensive with each other.

"Yeah, yeah, John was just leaving," Rogue said quickly and gave a silent look to John who knew that having his presence in the room would only cause more friction between the senior entourage.

"Yea, good night, Marie," he stated and walked out of the room, nodding to Jubilee on his way out, "You too Lee."

After John left and closed the door behind him Jubilee looked at Rogue and felt her face twitch into a slight scowl and shook her head at Rogue. "Did I interrupt something?" She asked waltzing over to her clearly distraught friend.

"No, John was just being John. He actually came by to apologize for what happened earlier with Bobby."

"Yeah, well, it was Bobby's fault anyway," Jubilee stated, understanding the situation and not letting her allegiance to her friend get in the way of her rational thinking. "He shouldn't have tried to push Pyro's buttons."

"Why does everyone keep calling him that? Am I the only one that actually uses his name?" Marie said, again for some reason feeling the need to defend him.

"Calm down, I thought that was what he goes by now," the younger girl said, wondering about why Rogue was being so hostile towards her. "Is everything ok between you and Bobby? He's pretty upset right now."

"Yeah," she said letting her mind wonder to Bobby and the way she left him in the media room, slightly feeling guilty. "I was just a little stressed, you know, Class Lit. I guess Aeneus is starting to get to me," it was clear she was making excuses and Jubilee noticed that, she just wondered whether or not her friend was going to let the subject go.

"Bobby will be alright. Kitty's talking to him right now."

Rogue was not sure why the idea of Kitty comforting Bobby just reaffirmed her decision to finalize her situation with her boyfriend but it did. "Rogue, I know this is none of my business, but really ever since Alcatraz you have been acting kind of weird. I just want to know what's going on."

"I don't know," Marie said as she exasperatedly forced herself on her bed, covering her face with her pillow. "Everything's just changing and sometimes I just want to hide from everyone."

"Rogue, everything is changing or are you and Bobby changing?" Jubilee asked intuitively. Rogue forgot how sharp the young sparkler was at reading people which made sense, with her powers being the most passive Storm had taught her for many years to be able to read an opponent and predict his next act.

"Uhh…. I don't know……I don't know," she replied not really wanting to admit the defeat of her relationship with Bobby.

"You know it's ok to want different things, Marie," Jubilee said with more wisdom than her years allowed her. "Both you guys are gonna get over it, besides, the two of you guys are kinda bumming the rest of us out."

"Really?" Rogue asked not aware of the affect that her faltering relationship was having on their friends.

"Yeah, I mean it's kinda awkward to be around you guys sometimes."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's kinda obvious. All you guys do is fight and that's all we hear about. Look I know you guys still care about each other but enough is enough."

"So you're saying…" Rogue trailed off waiting for her friend to finish her sentence.

"I'm saying it's ok for you guys to just be friends." Jubilee finally said it. She finally said the one thing Rogue needed to hear before going through with her thoroughly thought out decision. Rogue just nodded her head in acceptance and understanding.

"How do you think he'll take it?"

"Well, knowing Bobby, he'll probably try to avoid the conversation altogether. But I think eventually he'll realize it was for the best. Nothing against you or anything, but I'd be sick of you too." Jubilee laughed, causing Rogue to throw a pillow at her.

****

**I know this is a very short chapter, but I like to consistently update even if my muses aren't smiling. **

**Well, for all you Kitty fans out there, don't worry, she becomes more likeable and a very integral part of the plot. To answer crazy4horse, I did model this Kitty after X-Men Evolution and Jubilee off the comics, I know I should have been more consistant and did it one way or the other but I needed them to have very contrasting personalities. **

**Preview for Chapter 7**

**Bobby and Rogue finally break up**

**Something FINALLY happens between John and Rogue, I'm sorry it took six chapters to get there. **

**Mystique and Magneto make another appearance and so does a sentinel**

**Remember reviews make the updates happen :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Closure

Stolen (formerly Temporal Train)

Chapter Seven

****

The mob swarmed the White House, picketing with disgruntled signs and screams that cried for retribution. It was all over the news; no one could avoid hearing about it or seeing it. The Friends of Humanity had organized and were petitioning for the death of John Allerdyce.

_He does not deserve to live_

_He's a terrorist_

_He's a murderer_

_He's a mutant_

The television blared in the senior media room and John did everything he can to ignore it. It was hard enough for him to be back at the institution amongst the tension and alienation he felt from the students but having to hear that the rest of the world hated him too was almost unbearable. He would have gotten up and switched channels too or at least turn down the volume had it not been that the other students in the room were focusing their attention on the redundant piece. Trying very hard to ignore the journalist, he focused his attention on the pool table in front of him, letting every single colored orb sink perfectly into its designated pockets.

"Still any good?" He was startled that anyone would talk to him, looking up he saw Colossus grabbing one of the balls that rolled into the pocket, tossing it over and over in his hand, as if taunting John.

"Good enough to beat you, Tin Man," he said and shot a solid yellow into the pocket near Peter, staying focused on his solo game.

"Rack 'em," the large well bodied mutant said as he grabbed a pool stick near him. Startled by the invitation, John looked at Peter as he sharpened the edges of the stick with chalk. Noticing the apprehension the pyrokinetic was giving him, Colossus explained himself. "Look, Bobby was wrong, ok. I know that, everyone knows that except him. The professor has always lectured us about forgiveness and I'm not gonna let him down," he said awaiting John's response.

"Ok, by me, if you like losing," John stated shaking his head with amusement at the sudden welcoming gesture. Looking at the corner of his eyes he noticed Jubilee smiling at Peter in approval. _She must have talked to him_, he knew there was a reason he liked that girl.

"Just shut up and play," Peter said gesturing for John to break the newly arranged spheres.

Their game did not last long as the sudden shift in the world events grabbed the attention of everyone in the room. Frantically, all the students huddled around the television listening to the reporter as she promptly recited the live update.

**_This just in a bombing has occurred at a small predominantly mutant community just outside of Harlem where three children are found missing. Police suspects this act of aggression was a demonstration for the much anticipated trial of former Brotherhood member, John Allerdyce. Although the Friends of Humanity have released a statement disputing their involvement, the local community believes otherwise. If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Tabitha Smith, Roberto Da Costa, and Danielle Moonstar please contact the proper authorities. _**

At the conclusion of the news piece, everyone turned to look at John awaiting his reaction, as if he had something to do with the hostile environment.

"I can't believe people would do that," Rogue said, breaking them out of their silence.

"Seriously, they talk about mutants causing riots, but for reals, people do it too," Kitty added her opinion to Marie's statement.

"Kill or be killed, right?" John said looking at Rogue, making her aware of his reaffirmation of the conversation they had the previous night about his beliefs system.

"Not everyone's a killer, Pyro," Bobby said spitefully and very protectively he put his arm around Rogue, not liking the way John was looking at her. It made her uncomfortable because it was something she noticed that he had not done in a long time.

"I wouldn't talk, Drake," John defended himself; reminding Bobby of the fact that he had left him for dead not too long ago at Alcatraz. Bobby tensed up a little bit at the reminder. Starting to feel a little too uncomfortable, Rogue removed Bobby's arm away from her, which he took notice.

"You ok, Rogue?" He asked her and she just nodded nervously.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Hearing the tone in Rogue's voice and noticing the way she was looking at Bobby, Jubilee knew that it was time for the room to clear so the young couple can have a moment of privacy.

"Hey, Peter, Kitty, let's go get some ice cream from the kitchen," she said and looked at Colossus who understood her meaning.

"No thanks," Kitty stated, unaware of the situation. "I'm not hungry."

"But don't you want to help us?" Jubilee encouraged as she grabbed Kitty's arm, attempting to persuade the clueless girl.

"Why? Who needs help getting ice cream for themselves?" Kitty questioned which was met by more tugging from Jubilee.

John, understanding the circumstances and noticing how uncomfortable Rogue felt with Jubilee's failing arguments at getting the girl out of their ear shot, took it upon himself to help solve the situation. After all, everyone hated him anyway; Kitty would be just one more person to add to the list.

"She wants you to get the fuck out, Pryde." He stated simply and put his pool cue down, stepping over to the girl. "Your annoying ass is pissing everyone off."

"Why, I – never!" Kitty said and stormed off, not aware that John had provoked her on purpose. Jubilee proceeded to follow Kitty out, making sure her friend was not too offended, although slightly happy at the extra push that John gave her.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go, bitchy girls make me tired," he said and walked out, leaving the quiet couple to discuss all the unresolved issues in their relationship.

"That was odd," Bobby said noticing how suddenly the media room cleared out. "Just a couple of days and already Pyro is pissing everyone off." He shook his head as he said this.

"Bobby?" Rogue tried to get his attention, waiting for him to look at her. "Why don't you call him John?"

"Huh?" He responded a little taken back by her question.

"Why don't you call him John? Everyone else does."

"Because," he said looking distantly at the ground, all the hate, all the animosity, but most of all, the betrayal that Bobby felt was finally erupting from him. "John is my friend, I can forgive John," he said looking up at Rogue for understanding. "I can't forgive Pyro." He stated so simply that the only thing she can do was nod in comprehension.

"I know it's weird to have him here, believe me, it's weird for all of us, I was there too when he left, I know what it's like." She was trying to relate to him, he could tell, but that was something she could never do because she never was the one that was asked to execute his best friend.

"You didn't have to be the one to kill him, Rogue. Don't tell me you know what it's like when you don't." He was finally confronting his feelings about the situation; Robert Drake was finally opening up to her about something that had gotten so dark in him. He was vulnerable; she knew that he would not avoid any festering issue or conflict now. "I could've saved him, I could've pulled him off the island, but I didn't. I just left him there to die."

"Things were different then Bobby. You did what you had to do."

"I didn't have to leave him there. It's easier for me to tell myself that I left Pyro there and not John. So you see Rogue, to me he has to be Pyro and I don't know if I can ever forgive him for what he did."

"Things can change, they always do. You can't change that." She told him, looking up at him, her eyes telling him that she wasn't talking about John anymore. "No matter how much you don't want them too, things change and sometimes you're not ready for it to happen but it doesn't mean it's a bad thing."

He grinned at her slightly, understanding what she meant by that. Pulling her close to him in a friendly way, he gave her a hug, letting her know that he understood what she was saying. "I know, Rogue, I know. You know I love you right?" He told her in the most kindly and platonic way that was very sincere.

"I love you too, Bobby," she responded, equally sincere and equally companionable.

With the simple gestures of her placing her head on his chest and him nodding, acknowledging her words, they knew their relationship had changed. It was at that moment that Robert Drake and Marie D'Ancanto knew that their relationship had ended.

*****

"Rogue?" John said her name behind her closed door, waiting for a response. Not hearing anything, he took it as a sign to step inside. "Rogue?"

"Oh, hey John," she said turning to face him from where she stood by the window looking at out, her eyes focused on the scene outside. Seeing her not moving to greet him, he took it upon himself to walk over to her, curious about what she was looking at.

"You ok?" He asked her, following her eyes at the sight before them. He saw what she was staring at. Outside, near the grand fountain were Bobby Drake and Kitty Pryde, seated on a bench. The sight was innocent enough, just two friends talking a safe distance from each other. "What's going on?" He asked trying to fathom as to why she was not suspicious or worried at the sight before her.

"Closure," she said as a warm smile graced her lips. "It's called closure; I know he's going to be ok."

"What do you mean?" He asked her inquisitively as she turned to face him.

"Bobby and I broke up," she said it carelessly as if it was a resolution to all of her problems.

"Ohh, Rogue, I'm sorry to hear that," he said running his hands through his hair, not exactly sure what would be the appropriate thing to say to her.

"Don't be. It would've happened eventually. I think you knew that too."

"Yeah, but break ups still suck," he said and sat down on the windowsill so that he was looking up at her.

No, not this time, we're going to be ok, I'm going to be ok," she stated nodding her head in the process reassuring herself.

"I was never worried whether or not you were going to be ok," he told her as he took out his lighter. "I know you, Marie, you're a tough girl. A pain in the ass sometimes, but tough."

"Well, thanks," she said rolling her eyes at him. "John Allerdyce the inspirational speaker."

"Thought it was Saint John the martyr first?" He joked with her as he started tickling her sides, forcing fits of giggles to erupt from her.

"Ahh, John, stop, JOHN, please," she fell into him and rested herself on top of his lap, waiting for him to stop his endless movements. "Please, please!" She said looking at him directly in the eye and that was enough to make him release her.

She loved the feeling of being around him; it gave her a sense of familiarity to know that even though they had come along way from Alkali Lake, there was still a part of him that was reminiscent of the old John that she remembered. She stayed sitting on his lap with his arms wrap around her waist to steady her. Rogue felt a humble sense of home knowing that with everything changing around her, some things still stayed the same.

"Hey, John?" She said looking at him with a radiant expression that he could not help but find comfort in it.

"Yea?"

"I'm kinda glad you're back." She said it gently, continuing to stare in his eyes. "Things aren't the same around here without you."

"You can't expect things to stay the same forever," he replied as he ran his hands up her back. It was an oddly consoling experience for him, holding her like this, so close to him. He had held her before atop layers of clothes but this time it was different. He felt the warmth of her skin underneath the thin black tank top she wore and he almost felt every muscle in her thighs as it contracted under her shorts. Being this close to her was dangerous, he thought.

"I know, but still, I'm glad we're still the same," she said and almost saw a hint of disappointment behind his eyes. The truth was he did not want things to be the same between them; he did not want to constantly have to play second fiddle to Bobby. As of right now he felt that there was not much he can do, after all she had just broken up with her boyfriend so regardless he'll still be second rate.

"Yeah," he told her quietly, trying to hide his discontent. "Me too, Marie, me too." He gave her a small hug to reinsure her of his words that he did not entirely believe in it himself.

*****

She was very distressed; he knew something dire was troubling her. When she entered the doors to his condo the air of supremacy and confidence that she once held was gone. She was not cordial or respectful when she entered, she was rushed. Not even looking at him she just threw a folder onto the table and took at seat.

"What is troubling you my dear?" Magneto asked her as he took a seat, pulling the files to him and examined its contents.

"There is something going on," she said and showed him newspaper clippings. "Callisto, and Juggernaut are both missing." He examined the clippings and saw that a fire erupted where the mutants had disappeared.

"And what do you suspect, Mystique?" The older man said looking closely at the clippings and information she was giving, trying to dissect more clues.

"Friends of Humanity," she stated sharply and showed him the profile of the organization. "Ant-Mutant group headed by Graydon Creed, they're not admitting anything but I found this," she continued as she pulled a picture of a young who clearly had endured an enormous amount of torture. "This insignificant little human told me after much persuasion." She smiled slightly thinking back to the hours she had beating the truth out of that human.

"Did he say anything else?"

"No."

"And what news do you have of Pyro?" He asked her absorbing every bit of information from her. "Is he well adjusted with the X-Men?" As he finished his sentence he saw the worried look on her as she held out blueprints for him to see.

"They call it an immunity band, another weapon the humans have created against us. It disables our powers while we have it on, he's got one. I'm worried, Eric."

"Do you trust me Mystique?" He asked her, looking up from the papers in his hands and her sharp look gave him his answer. She did not trust him but she would cooperate with him. "It is time we mobilize and get organized, are they ready?"

"They're ready and just waiting for him."

"Well, then, perhaps it's about time we pay him a visit." The sinister man said as he walked over to the closet door and brought out blue prints and security codes to aid her.

*****

"Do you ever think what it would be like?" Marie asked John as she gazed at the stars above the bright sky. She had thought about leaving again but something stopped her. When she was cutting through the large lawn in the back, John was there as if waiting for her. The bag that she so readily packed now acted as a pillow as both of them lay on the ground, enjoying each other's company.

"What do you mean?" He asked her adjusting himself so that he was leaning with his head on his hand, turning to look at her still body.

It had been a week since Bobby and Rogue had broken up and while they maintained a steady friendship, John was still apprehensive about where they stood with each other. They would spend many nights having quiet conversations as the rest of the school sought slumber in their own dorms, Rogue would wonder into his isolation chamber that was the medical ward. They kept him away from everyone else after hours and locked the door, still afraid that he might try to run. Luckily for Rogue, she had caught a glimpse of the security code during the many trips she'd make with her guardian while he was checking on John.

"I mean do you ever think about it? What it would be like to be normal?" She was thinking about it again, John thought. She was questioning her decision to take the cure as well as her place in life. It was something she found herself questioning a lot lately. The sting of once fitting in with the school to now being another person just looking in was a constant disease that kept eating away at her conscience.

"Rogue I have never once questioned who I am and you shouldn't either."

"I mean don't you ever miss it? Home?" Her mind wondered to her earlier days when the comfort of family dinners and outings and even the protective eye of her mother and all the little things of life before her mutation happened, before all those pleasantries were taken from her.

"What do you mean by home?" He asked her thinking back to his broken past of foster homes and having to constantly fend for himself before Xavier took him in.

"You know home, my mom, my dad. I miss them."

"Do you really?"

"No," she responded her mind flashing back to the day her father kicked her out of the house for fear of having a mutant daughter. "I just miss the feeling of home. You know, the one place where you can go and feel safe, feel like no matter what happens there's someone that loves you there."

"Rogue," he said quietly as his hands traveled to find her own. He felt bold tonight, "You're home right now."

"Do you think it'll always be like this?" She asked him as she leaned over to look him directly in the eyes, almost feeling lost in them.

"Like what?" He said as he reached up to play with her hair, casually letting his fingers graze her face.

"Always having to fight, having to defend ourselves against everyone."

"Fight for what you believe in Marie. Remember makes life worth living."

"And worth dying for too," she said quietly remembering their first encounter since he had been back.

"Yeah, because honestly, the minute you give up, the minute you decide that you've had enough, then you're giving them every reason to attack you. Don't ever give up, you're no quitter," he spoke to her softly and she noticed that he was getting closer.

"Sometimes it just seems so easy though, especially when I know I can never have anything real, you know coming home to my mom after school and help her make dinner and knowing my father would always protect me."

"Rogue," he was getting dangerously close, "I'm always going to protect you, I always have."

"John-I," she was interrupted when his lips met hers very gently. She felt the fire from his kiss travel all the way to the very tips of her toes as she found herself being consumed by the passion in him.

The slow passion that heated between the two was not to be long lived. Suddenly an array of fire burnt through the tall trees around them accompanied by gun shots being fired in the distance.

"Oh, no!" John said as he got up frantically pulling Marie with him.

"What's going on?" Marie shouted as they ran swiftly back to the mansion, looking back only to see what the source of all the gun shots and fire bombs were.

*****

**Well, I decided to change the name because I thought Stolen would be more appropriate. Finally something happened between John and Rogue of course being an X-Men and a Brotherhood member, you can't expect it to be all lovely and wonderful....haha. **

**I know I promised you Sentinels in this chapter but you'll get it in the next chapter**

**Preview for Chapter 8**

**Sentinels...finally**

**More Conspiracy**

**Kitty gets a surprise visit**

**John gets an unexpected gift**

**The Senior X-Men go on a short vacation**

**Don't forget to review**

**Just a side note the reason I picked the title Temporal Train to begin with is because Temporal means chronological or always in motion and the train is suppose to be an analogy to Rogue's character and how she changes at the end of this story. **


	8. Chapter 8: Vacation and Votes

Stolen

Chapter Eight

*****

She had never expected this, Storm thought, as she watched the grounds of the school blaze in a fury of fire. A handful of men were charging towards the school with the open fire of scorching guns as they threw bottles of kerosene and fire amongst the grounds.

"LOGAN! GET THE KIDS!" She screamed as the students filed into the mansion from the intruders. Marie, John, Bobby, Colossus, Kitty, and Jubilee all gathered beside her, awaiting directives. She saw Logan running towards her with a gathered group of students around him. Turning around once to see who the hostile intruders were, he was met with a gunshot to the head and they all saw him fell. They saw the wolverine fell to the aching head wound. Storm, letting the powers of the wind guide her, flew to him, leaving the students unattended and without direction.

"JOHN DO SOMETHING!" Kitty screamed watching the fire engulf the lawn.

"I can't, you stupid bitch" he screamed back at her, showing them the black band on his arm, taking his frustration at the situation out on the small girl.

"BOBBY!" Jubilee looked at him instructing him to put out the wildfires. He looked at the burning trees and leaves; he knew that if he froze them the weight of the frozen branches would fall under the thin trunks. If he did that he would risk injuring the students who were running from the gathering fire storm. He looked beside him and noticed that John was frustrated by his inability to help. He also took note of the fact that he was protectively holding Rogue against him. Bobby's eyes wandered to the black band around John's wrist and he lifted his hands and started freezing the piece.

John, feeling his hand getting colder looked up at Bobby who was forming a careful shell around the immunity band and he knew what he had to do. When the band was frozen enough to be fragile, John rushed it against the nearest wall, breaking the hated mutant suppressant off.

"Thanks, Drake," John said quickly and raised his hands to lower the flames that had cast a giant shadow on the grounds of the campus.

"Just do your job, Pyro," Bobby quickly responding, not hiding his distrust in the boy. Slowly the flames were diminishing as Ororo tried to carry her fallen team member from the upcoming force of the intruders.

"We have to help them," Rogue urged. Before any of them had time to respond they saw a giant robot cast stomp on the ground with red laser eyes.

"FRIENDS OF HUMANITY," the robot stated in a monotone voice. "YOU ARE HEREBY ARRESTED FOR THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF JOHN ALLERDYCE AND DESTRUCTION TO AN INSTITUTION OF LEARNING. DROP YOUR WEAPONS." It said and without further instructions shot at the army of men who were retreating from the unknown danger.

"What is that?" Kitty asked, observing the interference of the large robot.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it saved us," Ororo said in between gasps of breath as she lowered the large wolverine onto the floor, waiting for him to gain consciousness. Kitty watched the large robot as it flew away after resolving the situation and something about it made her uneasy. It was almost too perfect, she noticed, how the men just retreated at the sight of the thing, almost as if they were waiting for it.

*****

"The sentinel program is the solution," Sebastian Shaw said as he petitioned the Mutant Intervention Resolution Committee. "It has been proven that it can resolve all conflicts concerning mutants with minimal risks. As proven by the tragic event that happened at Xavier Institution, this program can and will subdue all riots. Were it not for the quick decision on Hank McCoy's part, the casualties during this event could have been significantly more, that's why it is in the best interest of this nation that I vote yes."

The man spoke with a clarity and confidence that moved the group to applause. The attack on Xavier had been an isolated incident; Hank McCoy knew that as he sat with the rest of the committee members. While it was tragic that they had lost Siren due to the antagonist attack from the Friends of Humanity, he did not feel that this course of action was necessary. He remembered when he was summoned that night, the night of the incident. It had been late but not terribly late. They showed him a bird's eye view of the attack on the mansion and pressured him to unlock the sentinel program to help resolve it. Each one of them, with their keys in hand was so ready to unleash the large robot.

"Because of the time constraint in the decision making that unfortunately, a small girl was lost, had this not been the case then she would be alive today," Shaw continued, playing on everyone's sympathy towards the young girl. This was not necessary and the beast knew that but yet Sebastian Shaw seemed adamant about it. He was pushing for the Sentinel program; he was asking the committee for a vote of no confidence so that all the keys can be merged into one, with one man controlling the machines. That much power, Henry McCoy thought, was far too dangerous for one man to have access over. The rest of the committee did not see that as they one by one voted yes and sided with Shaw, leaving just him. He was feeling the pressure; he had never felt pressured before in his life. He wanted to say no but images of the young Siren as she was tragically consumed by the fire kept running in his mind that his heart told him otherwise. "Yes."

Henry's last vote was made official. The bill would be introduced soon and the citizens would vote as to whether or not to go through with the Sentinel program and make it public with Sebastian Shaw's iron hand controlling the wheels.

*****

"That's five more," Kitty said as she stared at the television, shaking her head.

"It's getting dangerous out there," Bobby added for her as she made room for him on the couch next to her.

"Well, what did you expect?" John said holding Rogue closer to him. They were both seated on the small single person couch, his arms around her to make room for her small frame.

"At least it's making us look better." Peter interjected as he changed the channel. "Human terrorist on the news this time as opposed to mutants is kinda a change." They were all gathered around the television, Peter on the couch with Bobby and Kitty and Jubilee who lay sprawled out on the floor in front of the television. The students were given a day off after the attack on the school earlier and to carefully mourn the loss of Siren, a younger student who was only fourteen. The senior students did not know her that well and after paying their respects at the funeral they had filed themselves into the media room only to be met with more mutant genocide information on the television. Five more mutants were found missing after another attack by the Friends of Humanity and no one knew where they were at all.

"What do you think happened to all those mutants?" Jubilee asked in wonderment as she folded her legs under her.

"What do you think, Lee?" John looked at her as if she was stupid for asking that question. "They probably killed them or using them as science projects."

"But why not just leave the bodies there?" Rogue asked curiously as she tucked her head under his arm and he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, which everyone in the room noticed, especially Bobby.

"I don't know how terrorists think," Bobby said scornfully, upset by the fact that his ex-girlfriend and someone who he still deems a traitor were acting so close. "Pyro?" He said, trying to provoke the young man. "Maybe you could tell us."

John just rolled his eyes at Bobby, growing accustomed to the harassment that he got from Bobby. He still could not understand why Bobby had such an issue with him when everyone else was able to if not forgive him at least be civil towards him. "Why don't you tell me how an ice prick thinks first," he bit back. "Today's not the day to mess with me."

"God! Not this again," Kitty said as she shoved Bobby a little bit, letting him know her annoyance. "Seriously, if you guys can't like get along while we're here, then leave."

"I agree with Kitty," Jubilee said raising her hand.

"Kitty," Storm said happily as she entered the room with a bright smile on her face. "I have a surprise for you," she said and stepped aside to reveal a tall man in a navy blue suit behind her with a loveable smile on his face.

"DADDY!" She screamed as she rushed across the room to envelope her father in a big hug. He laughed as he waited with open arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to surprise you," he said as she led him further into the room by the hand with Storm following behind them. "Actually, I have a surprise for all of you." The brown haired man stated as he looked at the curious eyes of everyone there. "Ms. Munroe has agreed to let me take you guys on a new investment that I just made."

"Where?" Jubilee asked, not hiding her excitement at the possibility of a vacation from school.

"Well, perhaps Ms. Munroe can tell you, after all a close friend of hers will be our host." He directed his eyes towards Storm who just looked at him strangely, not knowing what he was talking about.

"I wanted to take them to Ms. Wanda Maximoff's new vacation area."

"Wanda?" Storm asked surprised by that.

"Yes, Ms. Maximoff has started a new resort on the island of Genosha, I'm her primary investor," he said happily, not letting go of his daughter's hand as if she were a small child again.

"Oh, that's wonderful. Tell Wanda I said hi, I've been meaning to get in touch with her."

"Well, come on kids, the car is just outside. Go get packed!" He said excitedly as Kitty lead him by the hand to her room, with everyone following behind her.

"Uhh, John," Storm interrupted his stride. "Probation remember?" She reminded him of the fact that he could not leave campus due to his status as a fugitive awaiting trial.

"I know, I was just seeing if Rogue needed help," he told her, not hiding the fact that he was going to hate being away from her.

"Well, it can wait. Mr. Vance was her earlier, he gave me this to give to you," Storm said as she handed him a small parcel. "Said it was from your childhood, I'm assuming it's probably some of your personal effects from Australia," she speculated while walking out the door. "I gotta tell you, that lawyer of yours sure knows where to look when it comes to your past. You're lucky he's on our side."

After Storm disappeared from the room and everyone else was busy getting ready for a small vacation that John would no doubt have loved. He hated always being stuck in the mansion. If it was not for the company of Rogue the truth was he would have ran away awhile ago.

Curious as to what was in the parcel he opened it, wondering to himself what possession he could have that had to do with his brief years in Australia. Unwrapping the seemingly endless amounts of brown paper he was greeted by a small box with a familiar symbol on it, the teeth of a shark. Carefully opening it he saw what he knew would be in there, his wrist igniter. He knew what the small weapon meant, John Allerdyce was being summoned.

****

What am I suppose to bring? Rogue asked herself as she rummaged through her closet. Kitty's father had not given them any specifics about the small trip that he was taking them on. He gave them the name of an island so she thought it at least reasonable to pack a bathing suit but aside from that she was not sure what else she needed.

Carmen Pryde had the distinct personality and air to convince anyone to have faith in him which attested to his being one of the most wealthy venture capitalist in all of Illinois. Rogue had met him a couple of times during his visits to Kitty and he reminded her of all the things she wanted in a father, complete and utter devotion to his daughter despite her mutation. The more Rogue thought about it the more she envied Kitty because she realized that her father loved her because of her mutation, not despite it, thus ensuring the socialite that no matter who she is or have become she will always have her father around. Marie felt a hint of jealousy at the thought.

"You gonna be ok by yourself?" John asked from behind her as he zipped up her smaller suitcase that she filled with personal and necessary hygiene items.

"I'm not really going to be by myself. Bobby, Peter, Kitty, Jubilee and Mr. Pryde will be with me." She tried to reassure him. Even though John knew she was going to be safe he was still worried and that worry stemmed from the package he received from Samuel Vance which was buried deep inside his pant pocket.

"I mean are you going to be ok without me?" He asked her with a sense of dread, almost as if he was expecting her to not see him for awhile.

"It's only for a few days, John. Don't worry." She smiled as she threw a shirt at him.

"You know I'm always going to worry." He told her in a serious voice that made her question for an instant whether or not she should go. "Look," he approached her, grabbing onto her arms with both of his hands. "Just be careful ok? Things are getting dangerous out there and I'm not gonna be here," he looked at her with all the earnestness in the world. "There- to make sure you're safe."

"I'm a big girl, remember you said I was tough," she replied, a part of her thinking that John might not have been talking about the trip to Genosha earlier.

"I know you are," he smiled at the memory of that conversation. "A pain in the ass too, but just –"he stopped himself. A part of him wanted to utter to her just how important she was to him but it was not in his nature to be so expressive with his emotions. The truth was that he was not use to having someone who cared about him the way Rogue did and it frightened him. It scared him to think that there were going to be moments that she would be in pain and he would have no control over that. It terrified him to know that he, John Allerdyce, had fallen in love with her.

"What?" She asked smiling brightly, inviting him to finish his sentence.

"It's jus that I-"he hesitated again. She knew what he wanted to say to her, to tell her the things that he felt about her but she also knew that it was not like him to do that and she accepted it just like how she accepted him.

"I know, John," she finished for him, relieving him of his discomfort at translating human experiences into words. "I know me too." He shook his head at how well she can read him.

"You're an incredible girl, you know that Marie?" He said as he pushed her slightly, making her step back. She giggled as he placed careful kisses on her face.

*****

"Storm, I'm not sure how I feel about releasing the students like this," the blue haired beast said while walking side by side with Ororo Munroe who was surveying the damage done to the campus.

"Relax Henry, they're going with Kitty's father and what's more they're going to Genosha under the supervision of Wanda. It's been rather difficult here lately, they need a small break." She reassured while documenting the severe foliage damage on her notebook.

"Ahh, Wanda, how is she?"

"As far as I know she is well. Well, enough to get her little venture off the ground thanks to Kitty's father."

"That's good to hear, she was so passionate about that too. I'm glad Mr. Pryde is the one offering the financial support." He told her, trying to avoid the major headlines that were upsetting him.

"How did your meeting with the committee go?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. While I'm glad the Sentinel was helpful in alleviate the attack on the campus I'm still not convinced that it should be a public program."

"What do you mean, Hank?"

"Well, it makes no difference now since the committee already voted, but the bill has been passed to make the program public, meaning that in any given situation the head of the committee can at his disquisition, use the robots."

"Well, I thought the committee had to formally vote?" She asked him with a concern look on her face.

"Not anymore, the committee voted to merge the keys already, now it's the citizens turn to vote to pass it." Henry McCoy told her with such worry in his eyes. "Ororo, attached to that bill is the mutant registration act."

"What? They can't do that can they?"

"I assure you they can and have. But do not be too alarmed, with the amount of unconstitutional invasion of privacy that this bill includes, I still have faith in the American people that they will do the right thing."

She laughed lightly at him, "I wished I had your faith Hank, I really do."

*****

The plane ride had been unusually pleasant. The comforts of a private jet and all the luxuries that a venture capitalist like Carmen Pryde was accustomed to had been a different experience for Rogue. None of them knew where they were going except for the host himself.

The island was beautiful; it had miles upon miles of white sand covered beaches that just screamed serenity. Wanda Maximoff greeted them the minute they got off the jet. She was a beautiful woman with flowing long red hair and a composure that was very reminiscent of Storm, strong and elegant.

"Carmen" she greeted him and gave him a hug "so this is the famous Katherine Pryde," she said looking at the excited girl standing next to her father. "Your father talks about you constantly young lady, you have no idea how much he loves you. Now who else do we have here?" One by one each student introduced themselves to Wanda as she walked them to their villa to help them unpack.

"Wow Ms. Maximoff, this place is gorgeous, I bet you get a lot of tourists here," Jubilee said as she opened the large double glass doors that led to the balcony.

Wanda laughed lightly at her words," Jubilee, look around, do you see any tourists?" She told the young girl whose eyes slowly scanned the beach and aside from a handful of sunbathers the otherwise large stretch of land was bare. "This is a different kind of vacation area," she said emphasizing different a bit.

"How so?" Peter asked, still astonished by the beauty that was the island.

"Well, I will show you once you kids get settled in and rested, Carmen, I'll see you in about an hour to go over things," she instructed, leaving the visitors to enjoy the well furnished luxury villa.

"Daddy, what can we do first?" Kitty asked excitedly. Her dad just smiled meekly at her and nodded his head. He gave her longing looks as he watched his little girl eagerly unpack her things and explore her new surrounds.

"Kitty, why don't you and I go for a walk first, I would like to spend some time with you," he said and escorted her out. She nodded and followed her father out, the excitement of seeing her father still sung on her skin.

Carmen Pryde had led his daughter to a remote part of the island where the trail was decorated with bright lanterns to light the way and was protected by tall palm trees.

"Kitty," he stated, not exactly sure how to start the conversation. "How have things been for you at the school?"

"Oh, wonderful Daddy, I totally love it there."

"And your friends are they good to you?"

"They're wonderful, the best I ever had." She was wondering why her father kept asking her menial questions, as though he was trying to avoid speaking about something.

"Including Bobby?" he stated knowingly and chuckled at Kitty who was blushing from her father's comment.

"What? What are you talking about dad?" Kitty was embarrassed by the fact that her father had picked up on her mutual attraction to Robert Drake but still reminding herself that she and the ice man were still just friends.

"He's a good kid, that's all I wanted to say," he shook his head a little adoringly at her.

"I know, he's a great friend. Daddy, what's this all about?" She looked up at him and saw a worried look on his face, the same worried look that he had the first day he dropped her off at the institution, thinking he'll never see his little girl ever again.

"Nothing, Sprite, I just missed you that's all."

"I missed you too dad," she said and pulled him in a hug, a hug that her father breathed in as if it was a rite of passage.

"Kitty, I just want to be sure that you're going to be ok, when I'm gone that's all."

"Dad, look at me," she said trying to reassure her father, "I'm not a little girl anymore, I can take care of myself."

"I know Kitty, I know, but you know you're always going to be my little Sprite."

"So why are we here?" she questioned her father as they decided to make their way back, "Why did you decide to invest in this island, I thought you were done with tourist spots?"

"Oh you'll see, Kit, you'll see," he said smiling to himself knowingly.

*****

He had waited until he was sure everyone had prior obligations. The sun had set hours ago and there was no light to help him find his way in the masses of burnt shrubs and trees. The once proud and beautiful lawn of Xavier Institute was a desolate and scorched place. He kept walking, not exactly sure where he was suppose to go but he knew he had to be far enough not to be seen from the eyes of the guardians of the school. When the main campus of Xavier Institution was just a mere speck in the distance he saw the silhouette of Samuel Vance. Stopping in front of the gentleman John Allerdyce observed him more closely, looking for ticks and facial signs to reinforce his perception of the man.

"Hello, Pyro," he said with a higher voice as he stepped closer and slowly his skin started to morph, turning into a scaly deep blue.

"Mystique, didn't think I'd see you so soon." He eyed the woman as she circled him, almost examining him.

"I trust you are well."

"I'm doing ok, what are you doing here?" He was not in the mood for formality. He knew if Mystique was seeking him out there had to be a situation dire enough for her to need his help.

"Just checking on my former charge," she responded finally stopping to stare at him in the eyes. "I hope Storm had given you Magneto's package?" She eyed his wrists to confirm her question. Magneto was the only one that can make the contraption on John's wrist that was the cause of so much destruction. He knew the minute he opened it up that he was being summoned by the manipulator of metal himself.

"Its right here," he said and formed a small flame that danced just above his palm. "What does he want?"

"Isn't it obvious with the masses of mutants you're inspiring John, I thought you'd realize that you're somewhat of a legend amongst our ranks."

"I didn't ask for this," he said with a contempt that told her he did not like the attention his trial was having on the public, positive or not.

"Well, regardless, you are and now Magneto thinks you're ready," she told him with an approving nod. John could not believe what she was implying. Magneto had summoned him because he thinks that John as finally ready, that he, Pyro, was needed to lead his army.

"We know what happened to those missing mutants, Pyro, we know what they want to do to us and we have to stop them."

*****

**I'm on a writing frenzy now, the X-Men muses are smiling. Well, Siren dies but she was an off the book character so hopefully no one is crying over that. I gotta say crazy4horse you're enthusiasm is just really pushing me to write. I wonder if anyone else is reading this as adamantly??**

**Previews for Chapter Nine:  
-The truth about the island is revealed  
-Kitty fans will love the next chapter  
-The Aeneid once again makes an appearance  
-Bobby and John have a friendly spat**

**A side note, that really is Kitty's father's name in the comics, I really wanted to change it because Carmen is sounded too feminine but I didn't want to ruin the integrity of her life.  
PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	9. Chapter 9: Findings

Stolen

Chapter Nine

*****

After much sun bathing and hours spent at the beach, Rogue, Jubilee, Kitty, Bobby, and Peter were all exhausted as they rested in their rooms, still not believing that they were in such paradise. Kitty had spent most of her day with her father, talking about old times and embarrassing stories that she wished he would forget but at the same time was glad he remembered.

"I can't believe we're here," Jubilee said from in front of the mirror as she applied some blush to her tan skin. "Thank you so much Mr. Pryde."

"It's no problem girls, just hurry up and get ready we have to meet Wanda for dinner soon," he urged them as he opened the doors to the adjoining living room where the two boys were playing cards, fully dressed in suits that reflected the elegance of the night's dinner.

"Is this dress ok?" Rogue asked both girls as she stepped out in a black dress that was made of chiffon silk with a hemline that reached her knees. The sleeves were short and flowing that matched the deep plunge of her neckline.

"Va-va-va-voom, Rogue" Kitty said looking at her own conservative bright pink dress that graced all the way down to the floor. Her father had surprised her with it along with a matching pair of elegant white gloves to compliment her regal dress.

"Thanks," Rogue replied shyly, not use to compliments on her appearance.

"Well, then, shall we?" Carmen Pryde said as he popped his arm out for Kitty to take it, leading the room full of students to the elevator.

"Where are we having dinner anyway?" Bobby said as he adjusted his collar.

"Right here," Carmen stated as the elevator doors opened to the very bottom level of the building.

When the doors opened the students eyes were wide with wonder and curiosity. The place was not what they had expected concerning dinner reservations. The area was dark and there were rows of life-sized tubes that had human? No, mutants suspended in them, a clear look of reverie on each of their faces.

"I'm glad to see you guys have finally made it," Wanda greeted them, dressed in a long floor length deep red dress that almost matched her hair color.

"What is this place?" Peter asked, slightly disgusted by what he thought was mistreatment of mutants.

"This place, this entire island is a sanctuary where mutants can escape the persecution of the real world," she said using her hands to gesture to the area around her.

"Dad, did you know what you were investing in?" Kitty asked him shocked to see that he could put financial support to this chamber of captured mutants.

"Of course, Sprite, when Wanda told me her ideas, I was sold. I would think you would be too."

"Why are these mutants imprisoned?" Rogue asked taking a closer look at one of the tubes where a girl about her age stayed floating. She had bones sticking out of her that looked like it belonged to her skin and on her face of a completely relaxed and heavenly look.

"These mutants aren't captured, Rogue, they're simply given a second chance," Wanda said proudly. "I don't think I ever told you my real powers, forgive me, but I can alter reality, just like I'm doing for this girl." She said touching the tube that Rogue had her eye on.

"I don't understand," Rogue questioned her. "What do you mean a second chance?"

"Well, so many mutants out there had gone through a lot because of their unique gifts. Some have become so disenchanted with the world, like Marrow here, that they have just detached themselves from it completely. I'm giving them a second chance, letting them live out their lives the way they want it to be, the way it should have been." Rogue shook her head in acknowledgement, understanding Wanda Maximoff's wonderful safe haven for wounded mutants, not physically wounded but emotionally scared.

"Do they ever wake up?" Bobby asked while following Wanda as she led them down the corridors of the large room.

"Well, some eventually do, feeling self renewed and with a better outlook on life and some," she started and looked down with a deep sadness in her eyes. "Well, some that have had a lot of physical mutations have just been through so much that they choose to stay in their alternative lives until eventually their body fails them, very few of them do stay in suspension though because their alternative lives just breathes a new form of I guess belief in the world again."

Rogue stared at one of the suspended mutants and thought about how at one point she would have given anything to have a second chance at life, to be completely normal without her mutation, to be someone else, and then John's words echoed through her, breaking her out of her trance and making her remember who she was.

_Rogue I have never once questioned who I am and you shouldn't either_

*****

John stared at the ceiling in his cold depression filled room. He had been lying on his bed all day just carefully thinking about his next course of action. His hands kept playing with his wrist igniter that was not strapped on but loose in his grip. It had been two days since his encounter with Mystique, three days since he had seen Rogue. His mind drifted off to the photos that the shape shifter had showed him, photos of mutants being ripped from their homes and taken to a concentration camp to build and manufacture what? He does not know and neither did Mystique. A lot of them were former Brotherhood members like Callisto and Cain but the majority of them were just common mutants stripped from their lives and forced into slavery. He remembered seeing the immunity band on their wrists, reassuring him that the government was involved and thus his hatred for the system only heightened. He knew something had to be done and he knew he was the one capable of doing it.

Raven had tried to convince him to leave with her that night, to organize and mobilize the army but he managed to persuade her into letting him stay. It was better this way, he remembered telling her, because if the other mutants that they had rallied believed that he was here fighting the broken justice system then they would be more compelled to follow him, more inspired to take his stories of torture and torment to heart. Of course what she does not know was the fact that he could not leave Marie. He needed to do something to fight the injustice, a fight that he did not want her to be a part of.

Inhaling deeply he looked at the clock once more, it'll only be a little bit more until Marie shows up like she always did after hours. Her awaiting smile as she unlocked the door and come running into his eager arms and they would talk and just be with each other, reminding him that his littered soul was capable of a moment's peace. _Should he tell her?_ No, he could not tell her, she would not understand, she would not approve, he tried to tell himself knowing the real reason was that he did not want to endanger her life through an association with him.

Just as scheduled, he heard the doors open and there she was with a warm smile and a little bit more color in her cheeks, probably from being in the sun, he thought. She walked gracefully to him in her white sun dress and her flip flops making small noises under her feet, she truly was an angel.

"Hey," he said meekly and gave her a hug as she fell into his arms, wrapping himself protectively around her. "How was your trip?"

"Good, it was really fun; Ms. Maximoff is a very good woman. What did you while I was gone?" She asked him; not wanting to give too many details of the trip because she knew it would hurt his feelings that he was not able to enjoy it with her.

"Nothing, just sat around, finishing up homework. By the way how is your essay on the Aeneid coming?" He was trying to avoid too much heavy conversation as his mind still lingered to the events that had happened while she was gone.

"It's going ok I guess. I feel kind of bad for Dido and her situation."

"Why?"

"Because, Aeneus left her and for what? Whatever city he was searching for he could have shared the land with her. They could have settled in Carthage and been happy with each other." She felt a slight distance from him, almost as if he did not want her to know something, or if he even wanted her company right now.

"Well, it was his destiny, Rogue. It was his responsibility to find a new home for his people. He couldn't change that," he said reflecting Aeneus and how his situation could almost mirror it.

"Yes you can," she said looking at him, trying to gradually lower the degree of the distance she felt from him. "He didn't have to listen to the Gods. He could have put his fate into his own hands."

"Sometimes you can't control fate," he stroked her hair gently, taking in its sweet scent. Listening to his words, she was reminded of Wanda Maximoff who had the illusion to control a person's fate. She had the ability to alter someone's reality, would that not be controlling fate? Rogue thought.

She inhaled deeply, signs of jet lagged finally creeping up on her and John sensed it. She had the uncanny ability to always fall asleep first and John would find comfort in her quiet heartbeat next to his that would eventually lull him into slumber but he knew tonight he would not sleep, there was no way he could sleep tonight.

"Hey, Marie," he said nudging her slightly so she can regain some consciousness.

She replied in a small grunt, telling him that she was only somewhat alert.

"You know I-that is you know I…" he was stumbling on his words again. He really wanted to tell her what he believed to be true between them but still his insecurity prevented that.

"Hmm, I know John…" she cut him off. "I know me too," and with that he felt her take a sharp breath, finally slipping into quiet slumber. Very gently, he rolled her off of him and got out of bed. Looking at her angelic face that was completely unaware of the situation that she was in due to her relationship with him, he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before he started out the door, keeping it open for when he comes back; when he comes back from what he believed was his destiny, his responsibility.

*****

It was early, far too early for anyone to be awake but the jet lag had made sleeping impossible for Robert Drake. Even though it was lock down hours he was starting to get cabin fever from being in his room, mindlessly doing nothing but try to sleep. His wandering and sleepless mind took him to the kitchen where he indulged himself in cold cereal. He thought about just going for a walk to try to work off some of the energy, glancing outside to examine his prospects he noticed a figure walking up towards the mansion, looking closely to try to distinguish who it was he moved to the door and stood to the side, ready to attack in the event it was an unwanted intruder. As soon as he heard the door creaking and the mysterious stranger walk in, he jumped in front, startling the prowler.

"Geez, Drake, you nearly gave me a heartache," John said as he held his hand to his chest, trying to calm himself down.

"What the hell are you doing out there?" Bobby said still on guard.

"Put that away, man, I wasn't doing anything." John responded, straightening himself.

"Not doing anything? You're supposed to be in lock down!"

"Relax, Drake, I was just taking a walk," he lied, trying to calm the disgruntled boy down.

"Who the hell let you out anyway?" He asked curiously but already knew the answer to that and it stung him slightly.

"Marie did, she's waiting for me right now." Bobby shook his head understandingly at the mention of her name. He was always going to have a soft spot for her; she was after all his first love.

"Hey, Pyro?" Bobby stopped him as he was walking away towards the medical ward.

"Yeah, Ice? What? You have something against the way I walk or breathe now?"

"You're such an asshole. But really, you and Marie…" Bobby trailed off, trying to find the exact words that would not make him sound like the jealous ex boyfriend. "What's going on between you guys?"

"Think that's between me and her, Drake." John was getting aggressive, especially when it concerned Rogue and Bobby felt that.

"You have some nerve man, showing up here and then coming after my girl."

"EX-girlfriend," John corrected him emphasizing the first syllable with harshness. "Besides, Kitty's sniffing around you now so I wouldn't worry about getting laid," he said and very suddenly he saw out of the peripheral of his eyes, an onslaught of Bobby's icy blasts. Without hesitation, John brought his wrist igniter to life and attempted to deflect the angry boy's advances. The force of the hot and cold convection created steam and water in the air and turned the kitchen into a temperature strong sauna. The humidity in the air only fueled both boys anger until they heard creaking floor boards from upstairs that alerted them of an oncoming presence. Neither wanting to get caught, they quickly hid, John in the pantry and Bobby in the broom closet.

Through the crack of both doors they saw Colossus, very much half asleep, rummaging through the refrigerator, looking for a snack. Peter was so drowsy he did not notice the humidity in the room or the wet floor tiles and as he turned around and proceeded to walk back to his room, he slipped, sending a plate full of chocolate cake to up in the air, only to land on the boy's face.

"Ahh FUCK!" The large man said as he got up and cleaned himself off, walking disgracefully back upstairs, his entire back side wet from the floors.

When they knew the dazed mutant was out of earshot both boys got out of their prospective hiding areas in bursts of laughter.

"Did you see that?" John pointed to where Peter's accident occurred, holding his stomach to try to stabilize himself.

"Yeah, man, reminds me of catch and fire," Bobby said, reminding John of the old game they use to play.

"None of us ever bet money that he'd slip did we?" John asked.

"Nah, we always thought he was more coordinated than that."

"Obviously not," the pyrokinetic responded, both teenagers having finally calmed down. "Here," John sad, tossing Bobby a fireball that he had formed in his hand who in turned transformed it into a ball of ice. "You remember when I got detention cuz you fucked up," he reminded Bobby of his first meeting with Rogue.

"Yeah," he said taking the ball of ice and adding more layers to it, turning it into a large rose. "That was the day I met Marie, had to impress her didn't I?"

"Guess it worked," John stated solemnly, "you did end up dating her."

Bobby thought about what John said and for some unknown reason, his mind drifted off to his younger days when he was finally able to woe the ever elusive Marie D'Ancanto.

_"It worked," Bobby said excitedly to his roommate, who nonchalantly clicked his lighter open and close. _

_"Congratulations man, she's a great girl," John said, not really looking at Bobby. "Glad to see my plan worked." _

_"I know she loved the jewelry box. Thanks for helping me make it." _

_"Hey, no problem, good to know all those art classes are put to good use."_

_"Art classes, all you did was burn an imprint of a rose on the box," he was trying to discredit the young John. "Gosh, I can't believe me and Rogue are dating." _

_"Neither can I man….neither can I," John said as he focused his attention back to his lighter._

Bobby let the memory sink in further until he finally picked it up; John had congratulated him that day as if he was throwing in the towel, the way he refused to look at Bobby and for days afterwards how he remained distant in his room. Bobby had finally realized that John had always wanted Rogue but stepped down for Bobby.

"Pyro," he said breaking the other gentleman out of his daydream. "Don't you ever, ever hurt her, I mean it or I swear I'll kill you myself." Glancing at his still discolored wrists, the fire manipulator knew that Bobby meant it too.

*****

It was another one of those days, those painfully agonizing day that just never seemed to end. He was trying very hard to focus his attention on Sebastian Shaw who had taken it upon himself to give John another routine visit. His head hurt and his muscles were sore from his previous night when he had snuck out to meet with Mystique and Magneto to go over the necessary strategy for mobilizing their force. John did not have the immunity band on as he had broken it with Bobby's help and was waiting for Sebastian Shaw to say something about it but he did not even notice and John found that odd. What he found most disturbing was the blonde that sat next to him, dictating notes, the same secretary. She kept staring at him as if satisfied with his actions, but what could she be happy with that John was doing?

When the meeting finally ended he dragged himself back to the media room where Rogue sat with a magazine in hand and got up happily, welcoming him with a hug. He had snuck back in time for one or two hours of sleep until she would wake up and very cheerily breathe new life into him.

"How did it go?" She asked him as he walked her back to the couch, hoping to relax his exhausted body.

"It was the usual, John are you behaving? John are you killing people? I told them, no but I'll do it next week," he joked and was met with a jab in the ribs from her.

"That's not funny," Marie said smiling. They never talked about what would happen after the trial, where he would end up and how it would affect their relationship. They did not want too; both Marie and John were happy in their reverie right now and would not talk about anything beyond that.

She stayed close to him and focused her attention onto the television as he tried very hard not to fall asleep. His subconscious slumber was interrupted by shouts from the hall, loud angry and painful shouts. Very quickly they all stormed out into the hall, fully aware of how upset their friend was.

"NO! IT'S NOT TRUE!" Kitty Pryde yelled at Storm who had her hands up, trying to calm the painfully hurt girl down.

"Sweetie, I'm so sorry," she said trying to grab a hold of the girl who just put her arms up defensively.

"NO! MY FATHER WOULD NOT DO THAT. HE WOULD NOT LEAVE ME. HE WAS HAPPY!" She shouted in between her burst of tears.

"Calm, down, Kitty," she continued, inching her way closer to the emotional girl.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed back, "Don't anyone touch me!" With her final shouts she disappeared upstairs, leaving a trail of concern and wonderment in her wake.

*****

It was all over the news that day and the children whispered it in the halls, which was why Kitty Pryde decided to lock herself in her room for the entire evening. She did not want to hear anyone's sympathy or understanding because she refused to believe it was true. Kitty Pryde for the life of her refused to believe that her father, Carmen Pryde, had committed suicide. They had found him in his bathroom that morning with both wrists slit open and drained of all life. When Storm told her that morning she was angry because she did not understand why her father would do something like that, why he would leave her when just a few days ago they were happy and vacationing in paradise.

Her face was stained with tears that had finally dried up and her eyes were blood red as she tried to focus on the picture on her computer. It was an old picture of her and her father back when she first came to the institution and her father proudly held her up on his shoulders. Turning away at the memory, Kitty dug into her travel bag and found a CD. It was a CD that her father had given her the day they left Genosha, he told her it was pictures that he took while vacationing, he did indeed take a lot of pictures during their stay there.

As she inserted the CD her eyes flew through the insignificant pictures, the ones of her and her friends and she tried to focus on pictures of her father. Her mind faced with grief as she saw her smiling father on the computer, wishing her well and she tried to replay every conversation she ever had with him to try to find some indication of why he would do what he did. Breaking her out of her trance was a picture that had situated itself at the beginning of the file. It was a picture of her father with a man that she recognized but could not place.

"That can't be right," Kitty said to herself as she examined the picture closer. They were over a table signing something that she could not make out. It was such a casual picture that she did not even think either man knew they were being photographed. Brushing the thought away she closed the slideshow and was about to shut down her computer when she noticed a file on the folder of the CD. It was not a photo file but a video file. Trying to catch a glimpse into her father's life she double clicked the file and watched the video roll. The video played and she saw herself face to face with her father as he spoke to her.

_Kitty, if you're watching this then I guess it really did happen. I don't want to upset you sweetie because I know that you know that I'm dead already and I'm not sure how it's going to happen but I just want to let you know that I would never ever on my own accord ever leave you Sprite. You have made me so proud and I could not have asked for a better daughter, you know I love you enough to never want to abandon you. I just want you to be aware of certain things surrounding my death. Kitty, listen to me, if anything happens to me, if anything happens to me at all, I want you to go to Genosha and find Wanda, she will take care of you. If anyone approaches you with anything concerning my business tell them to talk to my lawyer, his name is Tom Hartley, but don't you say a word to them at all about anything else. You're a smart girl and I know you're not going to accept just this but consider it a favor to your dead father, don't investigate, just go to Wanda. I love you Katherine._

"Kitty," Bobby's voice interrupted her from her daze and quickly she turned off her computer, "Are you ok?" He poked his head into the room just as she turned around from her computer.

"I'll be fine," she lied and got up, taking her jacket with her.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going home, Bobby, I need to be home," she told him as she rushed out the door with every intention on figuring out what happened to her beloved father.

*****

**The plot thickens!! That's another death to add to the list.  
**

**Previews for Chapter Ten  
-Pyro plots and plans  
-Kitty investigates her father's death  
-Logan has a heart to heart with John  
-Something unexpected happens to Rogue**

Again please Review


	10. Chapter 10: Return

Stolen

Chapter Ten

*****

The mansion was quiet that night and everyone had retired early. Everyone was still shaken about the sudden death of Carmen Pryde that no one was ready to be out and talking about it just yet. Kitty flew back to Illinois for what he assumed to be funeral arrangements. Even Rogue, who came to him that night was hushed not exactly sure what to say or how to act around her distraught friend anymore. It did not take her long to fall asleep; therefore it did not take him long to wait and make the same journey that he had made for the past three days.

"You know Pyro, it'd be a lot more convenient if you just stayed here," Magneto said to him the minute he opened the door to the underground abandoned building.

"Gotta keep up my appearances or they might send the Sentinels after us," John said quickly brushing away the man's impatient glare.

PYRO!

HE'S BACK!

PYRO LIVES!

The crowd cheered for him as he made his way to sound proof room with Magneto and Mystique at his heels. Taking a seat he quickly looked over the plans that were laid out on the table.

"What do you think we're up against?" He asked them, examining the floor plans to the detainment camp that his associates were trapped in.

"They are fortified completely here," Eric pointed on the map that showed a dam through a large river. "If we make an attack we need to start here."

"No, no attacks just yet," Pyro said quickly, Marie's words running through his mind and Sam Guthrie's widower's cries echoed in his ears. "If we attack now then they have every reason to get that bill passed." He was referring to the Sentinel bill that had the registration act attached onto it.

"Diplomacy has never been a strategy, Pyro," Mystique reminded him. "We need to act quickly before we loose more mutants."

"I understand that. But we don't even know what we're up against. We don't know what they're making them build. There's just not enough information for us to successfully launch the campaign."

"Whatever it is they're building can only lead to more genocide of the mutant race. We do not need to know what it is to know that it must be destroyed," the metal manipulator urged him, eyeing suspiciously.

"Still, I don't want to send them into a bloodbath. The fewer casualties the better," John was getting frustrated now as evident by his voice. Mystique knew him well enough to know when he meant business, she also knew him well enough to know when he had an alternative idea.

"So what is your plan then, Pyro?" She asked him with a positive nod.

"I think we do to do some recon work first, bring some of our numbers back then we can get some answers," he said looking up at Magneto, waiting for his approval. Magneto looked at Pyro with a proud expression on his face, telling John that he trusted him and his strategy.

"Very well, Pyro, when do you want to lead this expedition?" Thinking about what Magneto said for a minute he remembered Rogue and her sleeping face, the peace that washed over her thinking that she was safe. His mind then saw Lila Cheney and her son with such sorrowful eyes for having suddenly lost her husband. He could not leave Rogue without her knowing why he was doing what he was; he could not leave her without seeing her one last time.

"Next week, it'll give us enough time to train and gather supplies. I'll be back every night to check on the recruits, I want to make sure they're ready for this," he said as he rolled the map up, thinking about how Marie would react to his sudden revolution. _Maybe it's best not to tell her_ he thought. _She'd be safer that way_.

*****

Kitty Pryde was waiting, she had been waiting for hours outside of Tom Hartley's office building. He had been her father's lawyer for as long as she can remember and for some reason she knew if she wanted answers he'd give them to her. Her dark sunglasses hid her red eyes, not having fully recovered from the sudden lost of her father. Seeing a tall man walk up to the building with his briefcase in hand she gathered all the courage she can and walked to him, gaining his attention.

"Mr. Hartley," she said walking side by side with him as he made his way into his office.

"Oh, Kitty, you surprised me. I'm sorry about what happened to your father," he said formally as if he had said things like this to distressed girls many times before.

"I appreciate that Mr. Hartley," she said and not waiting for him to approve, she took a seat in front of his desk as he settled in and turned on his computer. "Listen about my father's company…"

"No need to worry about your father's estate," he interrupted her. "I know you're probably concerned about what's going to happen to it, after your father was a wealthy man. But not to worry, he was also a very prepared man. His will ensures that you and your mother will live comfortable." He assumed that was what she was looking for, a trust fund baby making sure her resources would be replenished.

"That's not what I meant, Mr. Hartley," she said looked at the man seriously, who in turn glanced up from his computer to meet her eyes. "I just want to know what's going to happen to my father's company."

"Well, it looks like his subordinate will take over, it's all complicated business talk, Kitty. You don't have to worry about any of that stuff." He was almost warning her not to ask too many questions.

"Would the second in command be the majority shareholder?" She asked him and he was taken back by her knowledge of the corporate world.

"Well, in most cases yes, sometimes there's an acting member who is not part of the board that runs the business but ultimately the board has to decide what is in the best interest of the company."

"Would this man be it?" She said and showed him a picture that was mysteriously on her CD that her father had given her. She cropped the picture and enlarged the image of the unknown man.

"Where did you get this?"

"Never mind that, look Mr. Hartley, I know there's something you're not telling me," she pleaded with him.

"I'm sorry Kitty, I know you're still upset about your father but there's nothing here that you don't already know," he urged her to stop. "It would be in your best interest to understand and accept that your father is gone. Don't worry about the business side of things, you're still young." He emphasized young as though it were a treasure, a gift that she had been given.

"Ok, thank you Mr. Hartley," she said and stepped out, not hearing Tom Hartley pick up his phone and dialed a hazardous number.

_Hey, this is Hartley, listen I think we might have a problem with Carmen Pryde's account. _

*****

It was rather cold outside and the sun would be up soon. He really should be getting back before Rogue woke up but here he was, standing outside the fountain and watching the morning dew ripple through the water. John could not bring himself to walk into the mansion, to see her beautiful unknowing face. He almost felt like he was cheating on her, with who or what? He asked himself and looking at the burnt remains of the tree he tried to reassure himself. You're doing it for them, he said to himself, you're doing it for everyone who has ever told him or tried to stop him from being who he is. He knew and was proud of the fact that he was a mutant through and through.

"Got a light kid?" Breaking him out of his trance he turned to see Logan with a cigar, holding his hand out for John to give him the lighter that he was nervously playing with.

"Yeah," he said and handed it to the savage looking man who had evidently just woken up from his messy hair and rumpled morning clothes.

"You know you shouldn't be out here fire ant, Storm will catch you," the older man said taking a long inhale.

"You're not gonna tell her? Why aren't you gonna say anything?" He was curious as to why the once hostile man would try to cover up his obvious violation of the curfews and his probation.

"Cuz I know if I get you in trouble then I get Rogue in trouble too and frankly, I'm sick of having to chase her to that train station."

"You know about…" he started a little terrified that Logan might know the many frequent visits between him and Marie.

"Knew awhile ago, kid, she's not the best at lying."

John nodded understanding what he meant, "Yeah, her poker face sucks. So why do you let her do it?"

Signing deeply, the wolverine contemplated the question for a minute, trying to find an appropriate answer. "Well, honestly, I'm not her father, I'm just a concerned friend and for some reason she has not been to that train station in awhile and I know it has something to do with you," he said looking at John sternly. "I don't like it, it's not gonna change the way I feel about you firefly, but I'm not gonna do anything that's going to make her unhappy either."

"Yeah, she's a great girl," John said more to himself than to Logan, still apprehensive about going back into the mansion.

"Too good for you," Logan added stating his disapproval, "Listen, kid, I don't know what's gonna happen to you with everything that's going on with your case but I'm making it my business."

"Hey, look, I got the talk from Bobby already, no need to give me another threat, I get it. I'm not gonna hurt her."

"Good for Ice Cube, didn't know he had it in him. But I meant don't runaway. She was pretty broken up about it the first time you left." He eyed the boy almost hinting at the fact that he knew that John had been sneaking out those many nights while the school slept.

"I'm not…" John tried to reassure Logan, and hopefully himself. Looking at the sun break into the sky and color the day.

"Heard that before, lord knows if you run off I'm just gonna have to hunt you down myself," he threatened John, "Rogue might not like you coming back in pieces."

"She likes me anyway she can get me," he tried to joke but by the expression on Logan's face, he clearly was not amused.

"You're a prick, you know that kid?" Wolverine started, "But don't ever miss out on a chance to let her know how you feel," he was reminding John of his last moments with Jean and all the regret he had, regret that he did not want to happen between either of his young charges.

Pyro knew that he needed to go soon, to give Rogue the illusion that he had been with her the entire night. Before he could proceed to walk, the wolverine put his hands up to stop him briefly.

"Hey, keep her safe, I mean it," Logan said to him as if handing the responsibility over to John who just nodded in understanding before he walked over to the palatial mansion, to his sleeping princess.

*****

_What do you know that you're not telling me?_ Kitty Pryde asked herself as she rummaged through his folders. She had waited until he left, spending hours in a utility closet just waiting for the building to retire for the night before phasing herself into his office. She knew that he was hiding something from her, something big and she was determined to understand her father's death. She was frustrated by the endless amounts of legal documents that were so insignificant to her. Where was her father's estate plans, his will? Where was the information that would give her a trail leading to his death? Looking at the computer screen, she dropped the court documents in her hand and turned on the machine. She was good at finding files on a computer, she said to herself as her eyes scanned the documents in his hard drive and there it was, File Pryde, C. Double clicking on it and going through the many electronic documents she had found her trail.

_Pryde Incorporated, Mergers and Recent Acquisitions dated yesterday._

_Pryde Incorporated – Genosha_

_Pryde Incorporated – Untitled_

Knowing that she did not have the amount of time to sort through all the information, she pulled out her portable USB drive and made a copy of it for herself before tidying up the office and rushing out the door.

*****

She heard his footsteps when he walked into the room, she felt his kisses on her shoulder and the way he caressed her hair. It aroused her from her night dreams and she woke up to see him staring at her, watching her every move.

"Morning, here I got this for you," he said and handed her a cup of coffee. She took the cup and smiled at this very simple but loving gesture. It was unusual for him to be up this early. She was always the one that had to shake the sleeping boy to reality and even then he still asked for more minutes and seconds of snooze.

"What did I do to deserve this?" She asked him, taking a deep inhale of the warm beverage he gave her.

"Nothing, just couldn't sleep," he said and kept looking at her, trying to remember every detail of her messy hair and new skin that begged to be touched. "Did you sleep alright?"

"Just fine, like I always do."

"I had a talk with Logan this morning," he was clearly trying to forget about the past nights events and how his mind was telling him to just tell her the truth but he could not.

"How did that go?" She was suddenly aware of his fidgeting body and how he kept trying to avoid eye contact with her.

"Well, he knows you've been sneaking in here every night." She choked on her coffee a little bit at the statement. Logan was the one person she was most fearful of knowing about her nightly activities. He laughed at her reaction. "Relax, he's known for awhile and is ok with it. Well, not ok but he's not gonna do anything about it."

"That's……..so not like him," Marie said as her face squinted in confusion. Normally he would have no problem trying to interfere in her life, to make sure she was doing everything that a proper girl should.

"Hey…Marie," he said quietly, finally looking her in the eyes for the first time. His mind went back to his conversation with Wolverine and how the older man had told him about never letting go of his chance. He did not want to make the same mistake that Logan had, the mistake that still haunts him to this day.

"Yeah, John," she spoke with the shyness that only she can demonstrate, and that was enough to silence him forever.

"I…I..well, I just.." he found himself stuttering again, still being vague as his mind became consumed of all the thoughts and plans that he and the Brotherhood had to do.

"I know…I know," she said stopping him again, always understanding him.

"No, don't do that. I want you to know…"

"John, stop being so weird, I know," she said emphasizing her words and very quickly she set her cup down and her mouth found his, letting his words escape his mind. He felt his mind drift off into an eternal bliss that kept being interrupted by his inevitable destiny, his duty. As his psyche went back to his meeting with Magneto and Mystique he felt weak, he felt something pulling him, pulling his thoughts from him. Very quickly, Rogue pulled away from him, with great pain in her eyes as she looked at her hands, finally letting the tears escape herself.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry," she kept saying to herself as she curled herself into a ball on the floor, refusing to look at him. He approached her and was about to hold onto her but she stopped him. "NO! Get away! DON'T TOUCH ME! Don't you see its back, my powers are back!"

*****

She was looking at him again, examining him, not letting her eyes leave his and it made him uncomfortable. Sebastian Shaw's assistant while beautiful unnerved him and he could not figure out why. They had dropped by again and it was getting late. He did not want to do this, he thought as he let his mind drift back to Rogue and her shaking body as she left him that morning to seek treatment with Hank McCoy. He knew that the beast would examine her, test the limits and abilities of her body until she was so tired that he'll find her waiting again in his room.

"Well, Mr. Allerdyce, it looks like everything is in order here," he stated and then proceeded to look at the door, indicating that his presence was no longer needed. "If you wouldn't mind, my assistant and I have some things to discuss."

"No problem with me," John said and walked out letting the door close on his way out. He had to find Rogue, had to make sure she was ok. A part of him saw this coming because it happened to Mystique and to Magneto, how their powers slowly returned, he was almost waiting for it. John checked his room first to find it empty, then running to her room and saw that it was empty noticing her black bag near the door was gone. He knew where she would be, he knew that she needed time. He questioned whether or not to go see her now or if it was appropriate for him to go at all, the train station was off campus and if he left now everyone would know that he was violating his parole. Thinking about it again, he saw Logan's heavy footsteps in the hall with a determined look in his eyes.

"Hey, Logan," he started following in his stride. "Where are you going?" He knew where Logan was going and was not sure if it was appropriate for him to go too, after all this was something the wolverine did. This was something Logan and Marie did as a replacement father and upset daughter.

"Get outta my face glow worm, I got things to do."

"I know her powers are back," he shouted at the quick paced man who stopped dead in his tracks at the boys words. "It happened this morning with me."

Turning around, Logan eyed him suspiciously. "You're not coming with me, kid, don't worry I'll bring her back."

The sternness in Logan's voice was enough for John to back down, knowing his place in Rogue's life and understanding Logan's role in it as well.

*****

The minute the young mutant left the room, she turned her attention to Sebastian Shaw, giving him a grave look that told him their plans were in jeopardy.

"What is it, Emma?" He said to his queen as he took her hands and brought her perfect body to him.

"I'm worried," she replied, letting him wrap his arms around her and bury his face in her hair. "He's being very hesitant about it, as if something's changed in him."

"Well, what were his motives last week?" He asked her curiously, turning her body to face him. "I thought you said that he would do it, sure of it."

"I did say that and he did think that." Emma Frost placed her hand his chest, pushing him away slightly as she waltzed over to the desk and leaned against it, crossing her legs slowly and seductively. "He's very tormented, this one, not like the other one."

"Didn't they already meet? Hasn't he already gotten the blueprints, seen the photos?" Sebastian Shaw let his eyes run up her smooth thighs, watching them hungrily as she shifted them on the desk.

"He has, the others are very forward about it but he's starting to question things. He needs to be the one to move forward if this course of action is to work."

"What can we do?" He asked the tantalizing telepath.

"Don't worry, there's still one more card we can play," she said viciously, letting her mind run over the thoughts that she had read from the young man earlier, the feelings and concerns he had about Marie D'Ancanto. "We'll get to that little fire eater one way or another."

*****

**I know it's a very short chapter and not much happens in it but again I wanted to update regularly. **

**Previews for Chapter Eleven**

**-Another funeral and death (gotta keep those tolls up)**

**-John and Rogue get into a fight**

**-Bobby and John start mending their friendship**

**I need your honest opinions guys, do you want more interaction between John and Rogue cuz I was reading through the story and realized that I sacrificed the development of their relationship for the conspiracy plot. If you want to see more of them let me know and I'll rework some of the upcoming chapters. **

**Of course read and review**


	11. Chapter 11: Truths

Stolen

Chapter Eleven

*****

Kitty Pryde had her head held low, refusing to look at the ground. Her dark sunglasses hid her discontent at the funeral service. It was a large lavish service that she knew her father would have hated. Surrounding them were numerous business associates that he knew, associates that had a lot of gain from his death. She had read through the files that Tom Hartley had on her father and knew that he was murdered, she also knew that the murderer would show his face here as a means to divert attention away from them. Bobby had flown in to join her for the service; he knew there was no way she can get through it alone and for that she was grateful. Her father had warned her in his video to not answer anything concerning his business if asked by anyone and she knew that if anyone asked her about him here, her trail to her father's murder will continue.

Slowly walking up to his grave, she placed a white rose in remembrance on his casket and went back to her place, Bobby's hand found hers to try to comfort her.

"Miss Pryde, I am so sorry," Tom Hartley said to her at the end of the service.

"If you're really sorry," she started not hiding her contempt for the man, "if you're really sorry Mr. Hartley, you'll tell me the truth and not make me find it myself." He looked around quickly to see if anyone was within earshot of them before leaning closer to her.

"Look, Kitty, I've known you since you were born, stop this, it's insane." The truth was he had known she would be in his office, he knew that she would rummage through his things because she was Carmen Pryde's daughter, diligent and always one step ahead just like her father.

"I'm going to find out the truth," she told him not breaking eye contact with him. "If I have to take you down with me, I will, don't make me."

"Kitty, for your safety, I'm warning you, stop this now. This is bigger than any of us," he told her and quickly stopped when he noticed a shadow approaching him.

"Tom, I will see you later," the mysteriously recognizable man said as he shook the lawyer's hand and then turned to Kitty, "Miss Pryde, I'm sorry about your loss. Your father was a good man."

"I appreciate that sir," she said trying to pinpoint where she saw him before. She scanned over him, over his brown polished shoes and navy blue suit, the simple crest pinned on his burgundy tie and tried to remember where she had seen him before.

"By the way did your father ever take you to Genosha?" he asked and she felt a slight discomfort in his voice. "You know the new tourist spot that he was investing in?" After hearing his words she remembered her father's warning, to not tell anyone about his business ever.

"No, no," she lied, "He never did, I didn't even know he was looking into anymore new ventures," she noticed Bobby giving her a strange look, hearing her lie for the first time.

"Well, good day to you all then," he said and walked away to join his entourage.

"Good-bye Mr. Creed," Tom waved and turned his attention back to Kitty. He gave her a look that told her to keep her mouth shut; he was warning her with his eyes. He was telling her that he will take care of everything if she will let him. "Good-bye Kitty, I'll keep in touch," he said to her with a worried expression, almost as if he cared about her well-being.

"What's going on?" Bobby turned to her and asked with a worried eye. "Why did you lie like that?"

"Bobby, my father did not kill himself, I know it and the person responsible for his death is here," she tried to explain to him.

"Kitty, you're being ridiculous, I know no one wants to admit that..."

"NO!" She cut him off sternly, "my father would not kill himself, there's something big going on here Bobby, something huge and I haven't figured it out yet but I'm getting close," she said as she walked away from him to her awaiting limo.

Bobby watched her in a distance wonder, letting her words sink into him. He did not really understand what she meant or believed her because it was common for people to deny a suicide. But watching the flames erupt in the limo that Kitty Pryde had just stepped in and seeing shattered pieces of it spread across the field, his eyes grew large with fear, she was right something is going on bigger than them.

"KITTY!" He screamed watching as the various people gather around making phone calls, frantically trying to put out the flames of her burning limo and he knew that she had gotten too close to figuring things out that resulted in her death.

*****

She could not sleep, her eyes refused to stay shut the minute she felt him leave. She kept looking at the door, waiting for him to return and her ears were alert for any noises in the hall. After Rogue had regained her powers she spent the day in the testing lab with Hank McCoy, he made it very clear that sooner or later her powers were going to come back permanently. But John was ok, she had asked him knowing full well that John had survived and it had not affected him, it affected her. He tried to explain to her that it's going to be a slow process; right now she can only absorb bits and pieces of their memories and psyche but not their strength but eventually it will all come back to her and she felt the burning memories of careful caresses already eating away at her soul.

She ran after that, she ran and Logan came after her just like the diligent father. He had thought that she ran away because of her mutation but really she was running because of what she saw in John, what he was doing while everyone slept. It made her angry to think that he can just so willingly leave her again and go looking for death as though it was taunting him. She refused to believe that this was true but upon feeling him move from her side when he thought she was asleep a quiet tear trickled down her face that he did not see as she observed his elusive body leave the room. Hearing him walking quietly in the hall she closed her eyes again, feigning sleep.

She heard him creep through the room, removing his shoes and various things from his pockets, and then carefully placed his warm body next to hers, completely unaware that she was seeing scattered memories of his nights planning when he gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

"Where were you tonight?" She said through the tears that were filling her eyes.

Completely taken off guard by the sound of her voice, he quickly stood up looking at her as she rolled over, trembling from the uncontrollable tears that were streaming down her eyes.

"Rogue, what…why are you crying?" He said placing his fingers under her eyes, wiping away the tears, not knowing that the more he touched her the more pieces of his memories she was capturing in her already conflicted mind.

"Where were you tonight?" She asked him again, pulling his hand down from her face, her eyes pleading with him to tell her the truth.

"I was right here," he lied, feeling his heart almost breaking at seeing her so distressed.

"Don't lie to me, where were you tonight?"

"I was…I was out," he hesitated, still debating whether or not to tell her the truth.

"John, I know where you were, I saw you with them, Magneto, Mystique."

"What...how...were you spying on me?"

"I didn't have to, I can see it in your memories," she said confessing the manifestation of her mutation and he understood that. "What are you doing, John? Why are you with them?"

"Rogue," he said shaking his head, trying to get her to understand, "I'm doing what I have to do, what needs to be done. No one is getting hurt; we're not planning on attacking anyone." He told her the truth and she believed him, more than anything she had to believe him.

"Then what are you doing?"

"I can't tell you, I want to tell you but its better that you don't know," he was trying to protect her from his world. He was keeping her out of his attempt at revolution because he knew that if she tangled herself in his affairs that he just might loose her and his fragile heart cannot stand that.

She just shook her head and continued to stare at him in disbelief.

"Trust me, what we're doing is for the best, you'll see, you might even be proud of me," he was trying to reassure her and it clearly was not working. "Promise me you won't tell anyone," he looked at her for any sign of hope and saw a brief hint of it. "The less who are involved the better, just trust me," he said and pulled her to him, letting his cheek graze hers and she felt the sincerity and truth in his words absorb into her mind.

Nodding her head in understanding, she turned to look at him with worry and concern in her eyes, "I won't tell anyone, just be careful ok?" He smiled at her and nodded, holding her a little tighter, letting her feel how real and how genuine his words truly were.

*****

"Katherine Pryde was one of the most extraordinary people that I have had the pleasure to teach," Storm's sorrowful voice sounded over the field as she read her eulogy to Kitty. It all seemed like a whirlwind since Bobby had arrived back from Carmen Pryde's funeral, quiet, listless, and completely in a daze. He did not say anything, did not make any sudden movements, just stepped into his room and stayed there for days.

It was headlined in the news that day, how the accidental death of Carmen Pryde foreshadowed the more recent death of his daughter Katherine Pryde. Robert Drake had taken it the hardest, locking himself in his room, refusing to see anyone, refusing to be reminded of what he had lost and how much he had regretted never letting her know how he truly felt. This was the second service he had attended in her honor, the larger one with her family in Illinois and the smaller more intimate one here on campus, just like how she would have wanted it. After Storm had finished giving her eulogy, everyone turned to him waiting for him to get up on the podium, it was his turn. Looking at everyone waiting for him and turning his eyes back to her headstone he could not bear it anymore and got up and left to deal with his grief on his own.

"Hey, Drake, STOP!" John shouted after him, undoing his black silk tie and white shirt collar as he approached the distressed young mutant. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Why do you care, Pyro, why are you even here. You don't even like her." He shouted getting aggressive, not wanting to deal with his anger at his former friend and the loss of Kitty at the same instance.

"Look, I know you and me have had our differences but what you did just now was very rude and disrespectful," he was trying to reason with him but Bobby would not have it.

"And what do you know about respect? What do you know about Kitty? What do you even know about friendship you deserter!"

"Hey, easy Ice, I know you're hurt but if you don't back off you're going to get burned," he said lifting his hand to show that he meant business and to try to provoke the distraught mutant even more. He knew Bobby was keeping his defenses up and it was making it hard on him to move on.

"You want to play again? Do I need to kick your ass again, cuz right now I'm really in the mood to do that," Bobby said, his fists frosting over. He was ready for a fight, just something to take his mind off the funeral, anything to relieve his frustration at having lost someone so close to him.

"Make a move Iceman!" John taunted him and lit his wrist igniter, knowing full well why he was continuing to aggravate the man before him. John knew Bobby needed this, he knew he needed an instant of complete uncontrollability to help break him out of his grief.

"DON'T PUSH ME PYRO!" He screamed at John and then sent bursts of ice towards the ready mutant who only used his powers to deflect the onslaught of cold, making sure not to hurt Bobby. It was hard for John not to let the full potential of his powers expose itself, especially at such hostility that the ice manipulator was throwing his way.

Bobby was fuming; he was so angry that he absolutely refused to be the sensible one. He did not want to be the responsible one, the one that always knew what to do, he just wanted to feel his anger and it transferred in the way he was attacking John. He did not want to be the good son, the understanding friend, the diligent student, he just wanted to be angry and John was letting him.

Finally feeling his defenses shattering, Bobby stopped attacking John and tumbled to the floor with his head in his hands finally letting the tears escape his eyes.

John realizing that Bobby had stopped looked over at the mess of a man who was finally coming to terms with his grief and very slowly walked over and sat next to Bobby and the two men sat there not looking at each other, just waiting until Bobby was done expressing his loss, waiting for the next thing to happen, just waiting.

From this simple act, John knew that even though Bobby might not have forgiven him yet for the past, it was a start and that was all that both men needed.

*****

Snapping her head back inside her room, Marie turned her attention to the package that was left on her bed. She had a sense of calm wash over her after seeing the two men in the hallway because she knew that even though today was the day to mourn Kitty's death she also had hope for the birth of a new friendship between the two most important men in her life.

Glancing at the writing on the package she knew it had to be from Kitty with her hearts for the I's and smiley O's there was no doubt in her mind that Kitty Pryde had sent her something while she was in Illinois, and just two days before her death. She opened it up quickly to find a USB drive, a picture, and a ring that had a seal on it that she did not recognize. _Why would Kitty send me these things?_ Rogue asked herself as she inserted the USB drive into her computer and carefully scanned the documents inside.

There was a lot of legal files that Rogue did not understand, a lot of information about her father's business that should have been kept private but for some reason Kitty felt the need to give them to Rogue, almost as if she knew something was going to happen to her. That's who Katherine Pryde was, always one step ahead of the game. Looking at the picture again, she recognized one man as Carmen Pryde, leaned over a table signing something and another that looked so familiar to her.

Placing the picture on her scanner, she enlarged it to get a better picture of the man. Not recognizing the gentleman with him, she noticed a smaller figure behind both men, too blurred to really recognize the man. Glancing back at the files in the CD she opened one titled travel and saw that it was an electronic copy of Kitty's itinerary, a plane ticket to Genosha that she had planned on visiting two days from now. _Why would Kitty go back to Genosha?_

*****

"How many," John asked Mystique as she looked at the eager young mutants in the room who were aggressively training, waiting for directions from John.

"Six more when missing, which means our numbers are down to less than one hundred." He shook his head at the diminishing number of his army and it worried him that the abductions were getting more frequent and with a higher body count.

"What is your plan Pyro?" Magneto asked him gravely. "Do you still think we need to wait and watch our numbers dwindle?"

"Yes, I still think that's the best course of action. It's better that we go in knowing what we're up against than blind," he tried to convince both Mystique and Magneto who were set on revenge for their fallen team members.

"And how long must we wait, until there are only three of us? Whose to say that they have not killed them yet?" the blue skinned woman asked him. He was trying her patience; she did not understand why he putting things on hold when they really should be attacking the fortress where the abducted mutants are held.

"Be forewarn, Pyro, if you do not lead this soon, then I will, full power or not," Magneto cautioned him as he stepped out and back into his private room in the far corner of the building.

"Look, let me handle this my way," John said, looking at Mystique. "The idea is to save as many mutants as we can."

She laughed at him slightly, "You're starting to sound like those X-Men, Pyro. Perhaps you should think about removing yourself from that situation before you become soft."

"I will never sit back and just let this happen. Don't you dare question me again," he yelled at her for even suggesting that he leave the institution and Rogue.

"But you are, every day, every second that we wait, they act, can't you tell by our numbers. While you're busy playing boyfriend to that trecherous girl, they're winning."

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" He yelled and pushed her against the wall bringing a flame dangerously close to her face.

"That's it, there's the Pyro I remember, all passion. She's tamed you haven't she?" He released her and she just circled him, trying to strip the young mutant of his defense. "Well, what's it going to be? That little tart of yours or the fate of hundreds of mutants, mutants like us? Come on Pyro, you know what you need to do."

"I want six to go with me during recon then we'll plan our strategy accordingly, if we don't come back then prepare the troops." He said to her, making the choice that she knew he would.

******

They did not speak the entire way back. Rogue had convinced Bobby to escort her to Genosha for the day to try to get some answers from Wanda and the entire trip seemed fruitless. She did not know anything, or anything she was willing to tell them. The only relevant thing that the Scarlett Witch told Bobby and Rogue was the fact that Carmen Pryde had personally invested in Genosha and not through his company and she gave them one name, Tom Hartley. Tom Hartley, she knew was the missing link but she did not know who he was or even where to start looking. Glancing over at the blonde haired mutant next to her in the cab, she realized that she and Bobby had never really talked since Kitty's passing.

"Thanks for coming out with me," Rogue said to him, breaking the uncomfortable silence in the small car.

"No problem, anything to help Kitty," he said still gazing out the window. She showed him all the information that Kitty sent her and it did not take much persuasion on her part to get him to come on this wild goose chase with her.

"Hey, Bobby," she tried to get his attention but his eyes still remained on the passing cityscape. "Are you going to be ok?"

"Yeah, Marie, I will be," he tried to reassure her but she could see through all his defenses.

"I miss her too," she stated and that was enough to get the boy to turn his attention to her.

"I just wish she didn't do this alone, I wished she told someone," the ice maker said and it made Rogue think about John and how he was doing what he was alone, not allowing her to help him.

"Yeah, I thought Wanda would have told us more or at least given us some more direction," she reminded him of the conversation they had between Wanda Maximoff and it suddenly clicked in his head.

"She did, Rogue, Tom Hartley was Carmen Pryde's lawyer, he was at the funeral the day that Kitty died," he barely choked out the words and then it dawned on him that Hartley was trying to warn Kitty and she did not listen. "He's the answer Rogue, Tom Hartley; he knew what was going to happen."

*****

There was a hostility in the room that was also lined with a sense of fear, fear of Emma Frost, a powerful telepath who knew what everyone's next move was going to be, and fear of Sebastian Shaw who was aligned with the telepath and who potentially will have the power to destroy and persecute anyone if all the dominos falls in place but the other attendants in the meeting did not know that. They trusted him and well down right respected the man.

"His trial has been moved up," Sebastian Shaw told Logan, Storm, and Henry McCoy who waited in the room, John Allerdyce choosing to wait outside until all the adult conversations were out of the way.

"How many days do we have?" Storm asked him with great regard in his knowledge.

"It's coming, it's on the docket for next week, according to the reports that Samuel Vance gave me, and it's looking pretty good."

"Where is Banana Republic anyway?" Logan asked him, finally taking a seat next to Storm at the table.

"He had some prior appointments with Tom Hartley, the prosecutor." Henry McCoy answered for the distinguished man.

"Has there been any violation of his parole?" Mr. Shaw asked, looking at Logan.

"No," Logan lied for him, knowing full well that John had been on and off campus numerous times and that he was not exactly in isolation. "He's been here all this time." Emma Frost smiled at him, as if seeing through his lies but he did not notice.

"That's good to know; now we just need some personal statements from some of his fellow students. Character witnesses, anyone that can paint him in a good light, it's better for the committee to see that there's a different side to John." Storm nodded in approval and signaled for Henry to go ahead and open the door, letting Marie D'Ancanto walk in.

She was dressed very respectfully in a black suit and simple red shirt, she noticed that Emma Frost's eyes never left hers as she sat down and prepared herself to speak for John in front of these people.

"Marie D'Ancanto, this is Sebastian Shaw, head of the Mutant Conflict Resolution Committee and his assistant, Ms. Frost." Storm introduced them to her.

"It's nice to meet you," she said to them meekly, looking at Sebastian as though she had seen him before.

"Ok, please state your full name," Mr. Shaw said as he pressed the tape recorder.

"Marie D'Ancanto."

"Do you go by any other alias?"

"Rogue" She tried to keep her voice steady and stern and her face expressionless as she continued to watch Sebastian Shaw, trying to remember every detail of him in the event that she does remember why he was triggering such an alarm in her mind.

"And what is your relationship to John Allerdyce?"

"He's a friend of mine."

"Miss D'Ancanto, we need the full truth," he said seeing through her vague description.

"John and I are involved."

"Were you involved before the events at Alcatraz?"

"No"

It continued on like this for what seemed like hours, simple questions that were met with simple answers. They had dissected all of Rogue and John's history, from the day they met all the way to their current relationship status. They asked about every little detail about him and still she kept it simple and tried her best to make everyone see that John was a good person with good intentions who was just misguided. Emma Frost's presence in the room unnerved her and she kept looking at her almost as if stripping Rogue of every little sin that she committed. She did not trust the woman.

*****

**I'm sorry I had to kill off Kitty. I have nothing against her character, I like her I really do but in my mind the one that's always the closest to the truth first gets killed and I wrote her to be very bright and intelligent so she ended up being a victim to her own intellect. I did rework some upcoming chapters to include more interaction between John and Rogue so be patient it is coming up. **

**Previews for Chapter Twelve**

**-We see another side to John  
-Bobby and John finally reconcile  
-Another flashback**

**Well, it looks like my story is coming to a close soon. I think I have maybe 4 or 5 more chapters left. The conspiracy is slower revealing itself, any of you guys care to take a guess??**


	12. Chapter 12: New Beginnings and Endings

Stolen

Chapter Twelve

*****

_Guess its that time of the year again_, John thought to himself as he tied his shoes and stood up to look at his reflection again, making sure there was no wrinkle in his shirt and no creases in his slacks. It was that time of the year again, a ritual that John had done for awhile now and it was not going to change, Marie would understand, he tried to reason. Nothing was going to stop him from doing this, probation or not, he needed to do this. The day was still very young not having been noon yet but he did not care if they caught him leaving, he'll just keep walking. Looking around the mansion for any possible obstacles, John Allerdyce stepped onto the new turf of the lawn and proceeded to depart the campus, not knowing that Marie D'Ancanto was watching him leave from the window of her bedroom.

"Where's he going?" Bobby asked her as he got up from her desk to stare at the young mutant who should be aware of the risk he was taking by leaving in the middle of the day. After Rogue was done with the interview between her and Sebastian Shaw she and Bobby ran straight up to her room to try to piece together the many puzzle pieces that Kitty had left them. Bobby was examining the files on her computer in the event that she had missed something. The minute she heard the elevator doors opening and the stealth footsteps of John her attention was elsewhere and she found herself gazing longingly at his disappearing reflection with such worry abandonment.

"I don't know," she replied wondering why John would leave in the middle of the day, especially without tell her. Her mind played his memories over and over again and she was reminded of the potential danger he was in by associating with Mystique and Magneto and a wave of depression hit her, something that Bobby noticed.

"Are you going to be ok?" He placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her as he asked her this.

"I don't know. I worry about him; I worry about what he's going to do today, what's going to happen to him tomorrow." Rogue was more so talking to herself than Bobby because she knew that regardless of the mending relationship between the two boys, it would take a lot for Robert Drake to finally forgive John Allerdyce for his deception in the past.

"I understand Rogue." He was trying to relate to her but she knew he could not because he did not know about the frequent nights that John would be gone and she would have no idea whether or not he would return. It bothered her to no end, spending those sleepless nights praying that he would come home unharmed.

"I love him," she finally admitted to someone and she did not care how it would seem, confessing her love for someone else to her ex-boyfriend. "I love him, Bobby, and he just won't let me in, he won't tell me…" He cut her off and pulled her into a friendly hug,

"I know Rogue, I know. Sometimes I wonder if Kitty had told me where she was going, what she was doing then maybe I could have helped her, maybe she wouldn't have…" he still could not say it, he still could not admit that she was dead and that her last memory of him was him doubting her and not believing in what she was telling him.

"I just want to know what he's doing," she said looked up at Bobby, an idea formulating into her head, "Do you think maybe you could…"

"Sure, alright," he stated understanding hesitantly knowing what she was requesting of him.

*****

Robert Drake was not sure what was going on with John Allerdyce but this was not what he expected. Marie had asked him to follow John, to spy on him and make sure he was safe and that expedition led him to a small suburb just outside of Boston. He expected John to be doing one of two things either meeting up with his former masters or plotting an escape from the area since his trial was so near.

What he had seen instead was John walking up to a simple looking white house with yellow siding and a large front porch. He questioned everything before his eyes because after that he saw John being greeted warmly by a dark haired woman, who appeared to be around Storm's age if not older. She gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek as a small boy came running towards him, who he picked up with gentle care and they all walked into the house together, merrily talking and laughing.

_Was John cheating on Rogue?_

_Did he have some family that he did not tell anyone about?_

_Could that have been his mother?_

Bobby thought as he waited in the car for something to happen, anything that would either confirm or deny his assumption. He waited for what seemed like hours when it was really minutes and then the door opened again, putting his hands on the steering wheel, he readied himself to follow John once more. What was before him confused him even more because he saw the fire manipulator holding a fishing pole and tackle box and escorting the small boy to his car, looking back only once to wave to the woman. He debated whether or not to follow him but knew that he could get some answers from the mysterious female that John was so friendly with. When Bobby saw that the car was out of sight, he took off his sunglasses and proceeded towards the house.

"Yes, can I help you?" The woman said after opening the door for the blonde mutant.

"Yeah, I'm a friend of John Allerdyce," he said and watched as her face softened at the mention of his name.

"Ohh, you're a friend of John's? Well, come on in, you just missed him but he'll be back in a few hours." She opened the door wider for him, leading him into the living room where he took a seat.

"I didn't know John had any friends around here," she said as she poured him a cup of coffee and offered him a cookie to go with it. He waved no to the cookie with the coffee cup in his hand but was thankful for her graciousness. The house was small and had a warm and cozy atmosphere. Pictures adorned the walls and mantel, many pictures of a gentleman that he can only assume was her husband. _Guess that singles out the cheating._

"I actually live just outside of Boston," Bobby stated, trying to start a conversation with her in order to gather more information on the mysterious life of John. "We go to the same school."

"Xavier Institution, I think he might have mentioned you once or twice, I'm sorry what was your name again?"

"Robert Drake, but everyone calls me Bobby," he told her, "and you are?"

"Lila Cheney and you can definately call me Lila, Ms. Cheney just sounds so old. So you must have known John for awhile then?"

"Yeah, how long have you and your husband known him?" At the mention of her spouse he saw her eyes grow heavy with sadness and he wanted to kick himself for mentioning something that was obviously upsetting her.

"My husband actually never had the chance to meet John," she responded in quiet misery. "He passed away."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Bobby tried to convey sympathy and then felt a little bold, "can I ask what happened."

"Well, he was killed back when we use to live in San Francisco. He was working at Worthington labs and was killed by one of the terrorists." Lila explained to him, letting him know that she had not to this day gotten over the grief. Mutant terrorists at Alcatraz, it had to be one of Magneto's men, maybe even John himself, the idea swam around in Bobby's mind.

"So how did you meet John?" He was fishing for information now, trying to understand John's obviously double life.

"Well, he just showed up one day. We received flowers from someone by the name of John Allerdyce for Sam's funeral and then he just showed up. He said he knew my husband from awhile ago."

"Just like that huh?" Bobby was surprised that John even cared about the death of such an insignificant person as a lab technician. John Allerdyce was starting to become a mystery.

"Yeah, I mean it was weird at first because Sam had just passed away and there was so many things that needed to get done…."

Bobby listened intently as Lila Cheney adoringly spoke about John and how he was the saving grace in her life. She told him stories about how helpful he was in her transplant from San Francisco to the east coast and how over time he had become a father figure to her son, taking him fishing every month, on the same day, like today. Then she gave him a small tour of her house, telling Bobby little side stories about how John fixed the plumbing for her when she didn't know how because that was something her husband did or sealing a leaking roof, and how having him in her life made things easier for her and her young child.

Hearing this stranger think so highly of John made Bobby aware of the fact that maybe he did really know his friend after all and that John had never really disappeared, leaving Pyro in his wake, but was always there trying to make amends for his past deeds. Realizing the type of person John Allerdyce is made Bobby perceptive of the fact that maybe, just maybe, he had been too harsh on him.

*****

"Hey Bobby," John said as he walked into the media room to see the young man leaned over on the felt table. "You got a minute?"

Bobby, standing up straight from his solo game, leaned on his pool stick and looked at John, giving him permission to carry on. He knew what this conversation was going to be about; he was almost waiting for it since he had gotten back from Lila Cheney's company.

"Yeah, what's up man?" It was strange; John noted the hostility that used to lace his voice was gone.

"I heard you met Lila Cheney today," the pyromaniac said in a small nonconfrontational voice.

"Yeah, I did, Rogue asked me to follow you today. Don't think anything of it, she was just worried about you John." _John_, Robert Drake had used his name, not once since he had been back at the institution had he heard his name escape the man's mouth, let alone in a friendly tone.

"You didn't tell her about Lila did you?"

"No, I figured that was your business to tell."

"Thanks Drake the less people know about Lila the better. She's a good woman; she doesn't need to be caught up in all this," John said and prepared himself to leave but was stopped by Bobby's voice.

"Hey, John?"

"Yeah," he was curious as to what Bobby could possibly have to say to him. He was never one to strike up a conversation with him before, not even after Kitty's funeral.

"What you did for Lila, what you're doing for her, it's a good thing. She really appreciates it."

"Yeah, well, she was put in a difficult situation," John was not exactly comfortable with Bobby knowing so much about his life and especially hers. He watched as Bobby went over to cooler and grabbed two sodas, handing one to him almost as a peace offering. "Thanks man," he took it and both boys hoped up on the bar stool and took a big chug out of their respective bottles.

"You know I really should kick your ass for going after my ex-girlfriend," Bobby stated after letting out a satisfied sign the cold beverage gave him.

"Yeah, well, I wanted to kick your ass too when I knew you were after her, remember catch and fire?" He said reminding Bobby of their first meeting with Rogue. Maybe that was where their rivalry and constant one upping each other started, Bobby speculated.

"Yeah," he said laughing a little bit at the memory. "I didn't know you had a thing for her back then, it's funny," Bobby chuckled slightly thinking about how tangled the three of them were in each other's lives the minute the ball of ice that the interrupted game of catch and fire started fell on the floor, "I always thought I'd marry her someday."

"I know you did,I always figured I'd be the best man if anything."

"It's weird the way things changed."

"Gotta play where it lays, Drake, can't expect things to stay the same forever," John reminded him the turn of events that had happened in their young lives.

"She really loves you, you know that right?" The ice man told him as he took another sip from his cold soda.

"I know man, I know, she's really something that one. I'm glad you were stupid enough not to see that so I can have my shot at her," the brown haired boy joked, smiling incessantly as well.

"Don't push it, Dyce," Bobby responded shoving the laughing mutant slightly. "You know Rogue told me why you left."

"She did, did she?" John was waiting for it, the yelling, the accusation, the familiar hostility he was use to getting from his former best friend.

"And while I don't understand it, or agree with it, I just wanted you to know that I forgive you. Seeing Lila today made me realize that you're still the cocky asshole I met when I first started here, you're still my friend who has good intentions and while those intentions led to bad choices, they were still good." John had not expected to hear that from Bobby, he just assumed that the ice man would always carry that hatred with him all the way to his grave.

"Thanks Drake, I really needed to hear that." Slowly lifting their glass bottle up, the men toasted to their new found understanding of each other and the resurrection of their friendship, and each finished off the bottle, throwing it in the nearby trashcan.

"So…." John said looking at the pool table and eyeing Bobby suspiciously, "How's your aim, Drake?"

"Better than yours Dyce," Bobby responded back quickly, grinning at him as he gathered the balls on the table into a neat triangle.

"Don't forget who taught you to play, Iceman."

"How can I? Your arrogant ass never lets me forget." Bobby said as he smashed the cue ball into the triangle of colorful balls, creating a loud crash and smiling proudly as three colors sunk into various pockets.

*****

_"John"_

_"Marie"_

_"I can manipulate fire"_

_"When people touch my skin something happens, they just get hurt. I don't want to hurt you"_

Marie woke from her nap, not believing that she slept most of the day away. Her mind wanted to hold onto the pleasant dream she had of simplicity, of relative normalcy. She imagined what it would have been like if she and John had met under different circumstances, if there were no such thing as X-Men and Brotherhood and responsibilities, and her imagination transferred into her subconscious dream.

Rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes she walked back to her desk and situated herself in front of her computer, again going over everything that Kitty had left for her. Katherine Pryde was always one step ahead so there must be a reason why she left all this to Rogue. Scanning over the items again, she repeated in her head everything she knew about them.

_Carmen Pryde's business dealings_

_A ring with a crest on it_

_A picture of one of Carmen Pryde's business associate_

_A planned trip to Genosha_

Where was the link? Carmen Pryde's company was a publicly traded company, so there had to be shareholders. Looking through the trading documents one more time Rogue saw who the majority shareholder was other than Carmen Pryde himself, Graydon Creed. She also noticed that a lot of Carmen Pryde's shares were sold to some mysterious shell corporation just days before he died, GWM Incorporated. She remembered Bobby mentioning that Tom Hartley was the link. He was Carmen Pryde's lawyer, took care of his personal affairs, made sure Kitty would have been taken care of financially after his death. He must know about the recent trades between Carmen Pryde and GWM Incorporated. Feeling frustrated, she closed her computer and rubbed her eyes, trying to calm her information filled mind. That was when she saw it; she saw it in the picture that she had enlarged, the picture that Kitty had given her. Bringing the picture as close to her as possible, Marie noticed the ring that the mysterious man had on was the same ring that Carmen Pryde wore in the picture, the one whose crest matched the ring that Kitty sent her.

"Hey, what are you doing?" John interrupted her train of thought as he poked his head in the room.

"Nothing, just some research," she replied as she placed the picture down on her desk. She contemplated whether or not she should tell John hers and Bobby's recent fixation with Kitty's death but decided against it. Whoever murdered Kitty could very well likely kill any of them and John was an easy target, he was already a convicted felon.

He walked towards her as she got up and wrapped his arms around her, basking in her sweet honeysuckle scent. Marie smiled a little bit when she noticed him inhaling deeply, trying to take all of her in. It was strange, she thought, the way things had turned out for them, for all of them. Her mind drifted back to the first day she met Bobby and John and how smitten she was with Bobby, or more so loved the attention he gave her. As the youthful relationship between her and Bobby progressed she always thought she would be the one to marry the righteous Robert Drake, but here she was completely and vulnerably in love with the erratic John Allerdyce. But things change, they always do, you can't change that, she told herself as she tightened her grip around his neck, thinking back to the first time she knew that this was where she wanted to be and this was the man she wanted to be with.

_"John!" Rogue smiled, taking her eyes away from her book, and shifting in her bed to make room for him. "What are you doing here? I was going to see you in a little bit."_

_"Well, I got bored, needed a change in scenery. Stainless steel walls aren't exactly the most stimulating thing to look at," he explained to her as he took a set at the foot of her bed. This would be the fourth day since her and Bobby broke up, day four of her midnight visits with John. She did not expect to constantly go see him every night but she found herself drawn to his understanding nature and the relative normalcy in their playful conversations. _

_"You know you're going to get in trouble if they catch you in the girl's wing," she told him after closing her book and setting it on her bedside table. _

_"They can suck it. I'd like to see them spend most of their days in that room and not go crazy." He said as he reached over to her desk, his arm barely grazing her leg, and grabbed her jewelry box, dusting it slightly and examined it closely. "I'm surprised you still have this." _

_"What do you mean?" She said, moving her body closer to his so that they were sitting side by side, both looking at the jewelry box. _

_"Well, isn't it a common ex-girlfriend thing to get rid of everything your ex gave you?" _

_"Well, Bobby and I are different, we're still friends," she said letting her hand trace over the engraved box. "Besides, it's a beautiful box." _

_"Yeah, it did take awhile to make," he said laughing lightly and placing his hand on top of hers. _

_"You made this?" She questioned him as she grabbed the box out of his hands, looking at it closer and noticing the small etches of the imprinted rose that was clearly burnt in by fire. _

_"Yeah, Bobby didn't know what to get you and I figured you'd like it. Took me a week to make, it's hard to steady my powers like that." _

_"Why would you take the time to do something like that?" She asked him, watching him nervously running his hands through his hair. _

_"Well, isn't it obvious?" He asked her and noticing the blank look she was giving him, he proceeded to continue, "I knew it'd make you happy. I just wanted you to be happy." _

_"Well, thank you then," Rogue replied looking at the box again and then at John who held an enduring smile directly at her. "I wished I knew you were the one that made this," she turned her head away from him and placed the box back on her table. _

_"What difference does it make? You would have ended up with Drake." The way he said it with sheer disappointment in his tone made her replay every conversation they ever had, every moment together as if seeing it for the first time, all the little hints he gave her, the hidden smiles, the small gestures that she never noticed because she was too enthralled with his best friend. "I never stood a chance." _

_"What do you mean?" _

_"Well, I always wanted it to be me Rogue. I always cared about you, still do. I always wanted you to pick me." He took her hand in his and placed his fingers on her chin, directing her to look at him in the eyes. "I'm here now and I need you to tell me that I have a chance, even if it's one in a million because I'll keep waiting if I do but if not then just one word Marie, just one word is all it takes for me to stop, so what's it gonna be?" _

"Rogue....Marie?" John said into her ear, breaking her out of her daze.

"Ohh, sorry," she told him, breaking out of his embrace. "I was just thinking…"

"About what," He rested his hands on her arm to steady her as she pulled her hair out of her eyes.

"Just about us, about how we got to this point."

He kissed her forehead and pulled her into him, letting her know the sentiment meant more to him than anything in the world, "You know Drake wanted to kick my ass earlier for pursuing you after you guys broke up." She laughed at the thought and shook her head knowingly.

"Did you defend my honor?" She joked back.

"Yep, kicked his ass in three rounds of pool, Bobby still can't shoot for shit."

*****

Tom Hartley scanned the newspaper headlines with a deep disgust at the thought that Katherine Pryde, a young child was a victim to the harsh reality of his life. He wondered how a simple attorney like him got caught up in all this mess and how consumed he was in his work that it wrapped its evil core around his family and innocent bystanders like Kitty Pryde. Taking off his glasses and rubbing his temple in circular motions to try to relieve some of the tension, he turned his eyes back to Carmen Pryde's estate documents. He still had work to do and wanted to see to it that his wishes and will was followed through.

"Mr. Hartley?" His assistant said his name as she poked her head into his office. "There's a young lady here to see you."

"I don't have anything scheduled for today," he told her checking his calendar on the computer to verify his words.

"She said that you'd want to see her," the nervous woman said and placed a picture on his desk, telling him that it was serious. He stared at the picture, the very symbol of the crest that had run his life for as long as he knew.

"Send her in," he said and waved her away, expecting to see the ever indefinable Emma Frost before him but instead what he got was a small girl, a very young girl who could not have been more than eighteen. He had not expected this.

"Mr. Hartley?" Rogue said nervously as she took a seat in front of him. She had left for California that morning knowing full well that when she returned she would have to explain to Logan, Storm and John why she left without telling anyone but she'll worry about that later. Right now the most important thing to her was to make sure Kitty's death was not in vein and this man before her can help her with that.

"I'm sorry, I was not expecting to see you, Miss?"

"Rogue, call me Rogue," she said simply looking at the picture that sat in front of him, the photocopy she made of the ring that Kitty had sent her.

"What can I do for you Rogue?" He was making subtle pleasantries but she can tell by his body movement that the crest forced a slight fear in the man.

"I'm wondering if you can tell me what that crest means and who this person is," she said placing the picture of Carmen Pryde and his associate in front of Tom Hartley who just looked at it briefly and gave it back to her.

"I'm sorry I can't help you," he lied and turned his attention back to his paperwork.

"Do you not represent or use to represent Mr. Carmen Pryde?" At the mention of the deceased client's name Tom Hartley lifted his head and very easily, Marie saw a hint of grief cross his face. "His daughter sent me this picture before she died. I think she was trying to tell me something and I need to know it is."

"Rogue, trust me when I say it is for your own safety that you should not get involved."

"Mr. Hartley, one of my best friends died trying to tell me what is going on. I'm not going to give up so please help me." She almost pleaded with him hoping to touch his sense of righteousness. "She was planning a visit to Genosha to see Ms. Wanda Maximoff before she was murdered."

"Wanda!" He cut her off abruptly at the mention of the Scarlett Witch. "You know about Wanda?" Rogue nodded, waiting for him to continue. He saw that Marie was just as stubborn as Kitty and would not let this go. He contemplated whether or not he should endanger her life by giving her the information she soughed but looking at the youth in her face and reminding himself of his own young daughter he knew that he could not sacrifice another child. "Rogue, I'm sorry I can't help you."

"Just give me a name please, anything."

"I'm sorry Rogue." He said simply and led her to the door, shaking her bare hand on her way out.

"It's ok Mr. Hartley, I understand," she nodded and proceeded to leave, small remnants of his memory and psyche swimming through her mind and one name, Graydon Creed, gave her another trail towards uncovering the events that led to the deaths of Carmen and Katherine Pryde.

*****

John sat in Rogue's room just waiting for something, a phone call, a message, anything to let him know she was safe. She had left before he even had a chance to return to the mansion from his meeting with Mystique and Magneto and she left no indication as to where she was going to be. He was worried, anything could have happened to her. He knew how dangerous it was out there for mutants; he saw the pictures of enslaved mutants and prayed to god that they did not get her. Logan had told him not to worry and Bobby assured him that she was in California where she told him she would be. _Why would she tell Bobby and not him? _She was being reckless; she was being erratic; she was acting like him and that bothered John. He knew what it must feel like for her now, the constant worrying and helplessness in knowing there was absolutely nothing he can do should anything happen to her. He was restless; he was impatient; he was anxious.

Walking around her room he looked at the various things on her desk, a picture, a CD, a ring. That ring, he had seen that ring before, recognized its ivory crest. He picked it up slowly and brought it closer to him, looking at the details to ensure himself that he was not speculating. His breathing became more erratic at the thought that Rogue could be pulled into such a treacherous situation.

"What are you doing?" Her voice asked him quizzically from the doorway. "What are you doing John?" She asked him as she hurriedly walked over to him and grabbed the ring out of his hands, placing it back on the table.

"What are you doing Rogue?" He rebutted, shaking his head at her. "What is this?"

"It's nothing John."

"Marie, what are you doing? Do you have any idea what you're getting caught up in?" His voice was getting louder; he was getting angrier at her.

"DO YOU!" She yelled back, not giving him an inch. They were faced to face in a stalemate. "You sneak off every night and don't tell me what you're doing, who you're with and expect me to be ok with that?" Tears were rushing to her eyes but she held them back as she reminded herself of all the sleepless night she had to endure because of him.

"That's not the same; you know that is not the same. Don't you dare put this on me; I'm doing this for us, for all mutants everywhere."

"No, no, John, you're not doing this for us. You're doing this for you; for your own sense of self righteousness and worth. What do you have to prove?" He just continued to stare at her, not believing that she was finally letting every bit of emotion and weakness she had finally break free of her understanding nature. "It's not safe for you. I hate it, wondering every night if I am ever going to see you again. Watching you walk out that door and not say a word. I can't always be the strong girlfriend. It's hard for me because I don't know what you're doing and...." she was trying to bring herself to say the words that she feared, to summon the courage to finally not be the damseled girlfriend, "I can't be apart of that anymore," she said and grabbed the things off her desk stuffing them into her bag that hung loosely on her shoulder. She did not want to do this but she had to in order to save herself from further heartache. As much as she loved him and wanted to protect him she knew that she had to protect herself. Turning around slowly, Rogue walked out on John, letting his angry commands fall on deaf ears.

"DON'T GO! DO NOT GO!" His deafening voice echoed into the halls, making everyone aware of the tension between Rogue and John.

*****

**I know yet another short and anti-climatic chapter. To tell you the truth I'm starting to loose interest because I am suffering from major writers block right now. I'm not sure where I want the characters to go from here or how I want them to develop. If you have any preferences or ideas please feel free to voice your opinions, I really need it or something to inspire me. **

**Previews for Chapter Thirteen  
-There aren't any because I haven't written anything yet.**


	13. Chapter 13: Differences

Stolen  
Chapter Thirteen

*****

"Surely as the divine powers take note of the dutiful, surely as there is any justice anywhere and a mind recognizing in itself what is right, may the gods bring you your earned rewards."

"Ok, that's an interesting quote, John, do you mind explaining why you picked that one?" Storm asked the young brown haired mutant who was standing before the class, his eyes not leaving Rogue.

"Well, what Virgil is trying to say through his character Aeneus is the fact that as long as Aeneus does what he needs to, what was intended of him then everything will be ok; everyone he is responsible for will be taken care of." Although he was speaking to Storm, his words were directed at Rogue who refused to look at him, just paying close attention to the notes on her desk.

They had not spoken since the day she got back from California. It had been the most painful four days of his life, more difficult than recovering from Alcatraz. It was almost deafening the silence that existed between them. Every night he would hope that she would come through his doors and fall into his arms like she had done so many nights ago and every night he was disappointed.

"Any thoughts class," Ororo eyed every student who as if on cue ducked lower into their desk. How she wished that Kitty was here to save the drowning redundancy of the class but unexpectedly Rogue raised her hand. "Yes, Rogue, your thoughts?"

"Aeneus is a fool," she stated simply, finally looking John in the eyes for the first time in days. Ororo gave her a questionable look, allowing her to continue. "He was so consumed by the idea of fate and predetermined destiny that he sacrificed everything for it not even considering that his life is his own or the notion of free will and because of his stubborness Dido lost her life. He never once thought about the fact that maybe just maybe the Gods were not controlling his fate and it was still his choices and no one else's."

It was hard for her to not look John in the eye and feel the tears well up behind them. It was hard to look at the very hands that have held her and protected her and not run into them. She did not want to do this anymore. She did not want to constantly fight and leave all the things unsaid devour them.

"See that's where you're wrong, his choices were his own but the driving force behind them is the fact that he knew if he did not do what he was meant to do then everyone would suffer and that is in his nature to do what he feels is right, act on behalf of the Trojans because if doesn't then no one else will. Telling someone like Aeneus to not do what he thinks is right, what he stands by is like telling him to not be a man." John responded to her without even asking Storm for permission to speak.

"And Dido should not have been the one to suffer because of his own belief of self righteousness. She was the one that suffered for him, because of him." Rogue screamed and could not hold it in any longer; feeling the tears swallowing her she left the room, leaving the other students in stunned silence.

She went running into the hall, running towards her room, towards the black duffel bag that became her security blanket. A part of her knew that he would follow her; she almost welcomed it but still she did not want to turn around to face him.

"Rogue," his soft masculine voice echoed in her ears like wind chimes, so calming and so soothing. "What are you doing? Please look at me."

"I hate this," her voice trembling as she was admitting this to him. The stream of tears in her eyes was slowly breaking his heart. "I hate not seeing you, not speaking to you."

"I hate this too," he said and tried to walk towards her but she just backed away.

"I always thought as different as we are," she whispered to him through her quiet tear choked voice, "somehow we could still be together and now I don't know. I don't know anything."

"Marie, you know how I feel about you and I need you to know that this is something I have to do. I need you to know that this is something I need you to support me in," he was getting belligerent with her but she refuses to yield to his anger.

"How can I support you when I don't even know what you're doing? Just tell me and we can get through this together." He could not bear it any longer, the heartbreaking sight of her trembling body as it suffered through endless sobs and tears. He moved towards her slowly, not wanting her to shy away from him, and pulled her into him, letting his chin rest on the top of her head.

When his arms brushed itself against the exposed skin on her upper arm, just above her gloves she saw every little bit of the things he saw and felt. She saw the pictures of the captured mutants, the containment camps, the constant planning and meetings that he attended. She also saw that his intentions were true and that he did not want to start another war but save the lives of the ones already lost. "I need you to understand that this something I have to do. I have never asked you to not be who you are, to not be Marie D'Ancanto; please don't ask me to stop being who I am." He whispered to her and with a quiet nod, he knew that while she might not completely understand his reasoning, she at the very least can accept it.

*****

"While I do enjoy your frequent visits, Rogue, I'm afraid that there really is not much more I can tell you," Wanda Maximoff told her as she checked the temperature on the living chamber of a suspended mutant.

"Look, Ms. Maximoff, I understand you need to protect yourself and every mutant under your care, but Kitty Pryde died trying to tell me something and I need to know what it is. Tom Hartley is not telling me anything but I did get a name, Graydon Creed. I need to know who he is." Marie pleaded with her as she assisted the grand woman in the daily maintenance of her mutant haven.

"Graydon Creed?" Wanda hesitated at hearing the name. Marie sensed this and turned to her waiting for her to finish her thought or at least letting the initial shock wear off. "If Graydon Creed is involved then this is more serious than I thought." She started walking towards the corridors of her chambers, when Rogue did not follow; she turned to her signaling for her to enter her private studio.

The room was not what Rogue had expected. Wanda Maximoff has always struck Marie as an aristocratic woman with extravagant and debonair taste but the furniture in the room was very simple. It had one old couch that sat upon an old rug facing the window with a single mahogany coffee table. The walls were bookshelves that had stacks and stacks of old and leather-bound books that started from the floor and reached all the way to the ceiling. Ever so carefully, Wanda went into the far corner and pulled a book out which she placed on the floor. Reaching her hand further in she pulled a small rolled up parchment and signaled for Rogue to join her on the floor.

"Rogue, before I tell you anything I want you to be aware of the fact that what I am about to reveal to you will put your life and undoubtedly the lives of the people around you at risk. Is this something you can handle?" Wanda told her with all the seriousness in her eyes that made Marie hesitate. All the people around me, she thought, John, Bobby, Logan, Storm, and Kitty, Kitty was already dead. Whatever risk Rogue was putting them in was completely obsolete because Kitty had made that decision for them.

"I understand Ms. Maximoff and I took that risk coming here." The older woman nodded in understanding and very carefully unrolled the scroll to reveal a symbol that was so familiar to Rogue now. It was a symbol she studied carefully trying to decipher it's meaning, the same symbol that Kitty sent her.

"Rogue, really listen to me," she said as almost a warning. "There is no turning back after this." The young woman just nodded her head in stubborn approval. "This is the seal for the Hellfire Club." She waited for the girl's reaction, whose eyebrows furrowed at the name.

"The Hellfire Club, are they suppose to be some secret society, like a fraternity or something," Rogue had never heard of them before but then again there was a lot about the world that she was still a virgin to.

"Something like that but much, much more dangerous and a lot older, some say they date back to before the Skull and Bones. They are made up of the elite and powerful families of the world, mutant and human alike. Carmen Pryde was one of the members by birth right."

"So if he was in this club then what happened to him, why didn't they protect him?" She was trying to understand how a man with such moral ethics could tangle himself in the inner workings of a secret society.

"Because, Carmen Pryde was a good man, Rogue, he was a good man who wanted to protect his daughter."

"Wait….so they were really after Kitty?" She did not understand this at all. Her mind could not wrap itself around the idea that Kitty Pryde because of her linage could be linked to the same webs her father and his father before him had built.

"No," Wanda continued shaking her head. "Rogue, did you ever wonder why Carmen Pryde personally invested his interest in me?" She waited for the reinforced shake of the girl's head, indicating that she did not understand anything in the least bit. "He knew the Hellfire Club was plotting something that could endanger not necessarily Kitty's life but the mutant population so he helped me with Genosha in the hopes that one day Kitty will find some peace. He wanted her to be safe in the event that the Hellfire Club would know that he went rogue."

"What are they doing?" Rogue asked seeing the sorrow that the woman felt for the late Carmen Pryde; he really was a respected man.

"I'm afraid I was not privileged to that information. Carmen thought it best for me to just know what was necessary. If a person knows too much then they're a risk to the Hellfire Club, just like Katherine was."

"So, is Graydon Creed the leader of this club or something," The name suddenly swimming back in her mind from the aftermath of Tom Hartley's touch.

"The elite and powerful only, you can only attain admission into the Hellfire Club by birthright and Graydon Creed's linage does not allow him that."

"Then what does he have to do with anything? I saw it in your eyes Ms. Maximoff, why are you so terrified of him?"

"Well, all mutants would be fearful of this man, after all he is hunting us one by one. Rogue, read the newspaper, he's head of the Friends of Humanity." Wanda saw such innocent in Rogue but at the same time knew that the year with the X-Men had aged her well beyond her youth but no matter how many years it added, Rogue still retained her naïve nature and that gave Wanda hope for the world. "Tom Hartley would know his connection to the Hellfire Club, if he is involved then we're looking at two very powerful forces merging towards a single goal and lord help us if they should succeed."

*****

There was no turning back now for John Allerdyce. All the plans had been made to do recon work at the camp; his six most trained and elite fighters were waiting for him, not knowing that he was taking his time to ensure that every valuable minute was spent trying to rebuild his and Rogue's relationship. Things were still shaky, especially since she had gotten back from her trip to Genosha this morning. She was quiet, too quiet, whatever happened at Genosha bothered her and that bothered him.

She had barely spoken to anyone all day, spending long hours in her room, crouched over her desk looking at the familiar pictures and documents that had kept her awake at night. It wasn't until he was about to leave that she crept up to his room and just sat there watching him as he got ready. The uncomfortable silence between them kept cutting into his skin like a dull rusty knife but his mind was too clouded with the impending plan to notice her distant stare at him.

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like?" She broke the silence, watching him as he slipped his shoes on, taking his time to carefully tie the knots. She did not want him to go, of all nights he had left tonight she wished there was a way to will him to stay. The ugly truth was that if Rogue had the full capacity of her powers she would not hesitate to use it on him tonight as a means to just weaken him into a sleepy daze if it meant that he would stay.

After retuning home from Genosha she had done a search for Graydon Creed and Tom Hartley. She was determined to figure out the missing link, the connection that all these men had and after hours of isolation she had figured it out and that was what terrified her. She ran to him right after that, making sure he was there and tangible, her eyes almost welled up seeing him getting ready to go. There was a reason why Kitty had sent her those things and not Bobby or Logan or Storm, because Kitty knew she had more vested in the situation, she had more vested in the missing link because the connection underlying it all was the man she loved.

"What are you talking about Rogue?" He asked her as he searched the nearby pile of clothes for a thick jacket.

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like?" She was trying to stall him, make him think and ponder the question she threw at him as her mind drifted back to the puzzle pieces that made her heart break. The picture of the associate with Carmen Pryde was Graydon Creed.

"What it would be like to what?" He did not even look at her; his mind was focused on the upcoming task at hand and the ensuring danger.

"To be normal," she knew that would get him to stop for a moment as her mind drifted to Graydon Creed, the head of the Friends of Humanity who at one point attacked the mansion in the hopes of killing John, only to be subdue by the government program the Sentinel.

"Rogue, why do you always bring that up? What's the point of being normal when we can't be ourselves? I wouldn't have you any other way." He stopped what he was doing and looked at her as he took a seat directly in front of Rogue, completely eye level with her. "Why would I want to change that?"

"No, not that," she momentarily drifted back to the serenity of her dream, "I mean do you ever wonder what it would be like if we met each other in different circumstances?" She asked him letting her head envision the man that was Sebastian Shaw and the pin that he always wore around his tie, the small, seemingly insignificant pin that bared the crest of the Hellfire Club.

"What do you mean?" He knew that she was trying to stall him, he saw it in her eyes, the way they bore into him, almost speaking to him silently about how desperately she wanted him to stay but he knew he could not; he had a responsibility, a destiny that he could not deny.

"I mean if we were just normal blue collar mutants, no X-Men, no Brotherhood, nothing." She waited for his answer and was reminded of Tom Hartley, the prosecutor for John's trial, and that was where the trail ended, with John Allerdyce and his trial. While she still had not figured out how John tied into all this because everything seemed so off she knew it had to do with his trial and a man that wanted him dead by any means necessary, a man that was prosecuting him, and the outlier being the man that was trying to save him but at the same time sacrificed Carmen and Katherine Pryde.

"I don't think I understand," he let his fingers stroke the side of her face as he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"I mean….." she was starting to feel it, the impending tears were trying to escape her eyes as she was reminded of all the things that she can never have with him; all the simple private moments that normal people shared who did not have the preconceived notion of destiny or responsibility. "I mean if we were just normal everyday working people who just happen to meet each other one day."

"Rogue, why would I imagine something like that?" He asked her as he pulled her to him, seeing the trail of tears running slowly down her face. "I'm happy now."

"I use to imagine what it would be like, have dreams about it too actually. I always wondered if we were just everyday people just trying to make it. Would we be different? Would we feel the same about each other?" She pulled out of his embrace and started taking deep breathes to steady herself and gain her composure.

"You know I'm always going to feel the same way about you no matter who we are." He just wanted to hold her, to say the right things and do the right things that would make her feel safe, make the tears stop but he did not know what that was.

"I know," she nodded to him, a small smile creasing at the corner of her lips. She was starting to gain her strength again mainly because she was letting images of what she can envision as the normal life that she and John would have had fill her mind and her heart with its warmth. "I always imagined that if we ever did meet in some alternative life that we'd just know we were meant for each other."

He gave her a kiss on her left cheek, his lips catching drops of her tears as he waited for her to continue. John knew she was living in her reverie and wanted to continue, to share that piece of her soul with him.

"I'd have some horrible job that I hated like a waitress or a bartender at some sleazy place or something and you would just find me one day, as if we had both been looking for each other all our lives," She continued telling him, hoping that her dream would manifest itself into their reality.

"I'd have a horrible day and you would just walk by and we'd stop and stare at each other and just know that this was supposed to happen."

_"John"_

_"Marie"_

Rogue continued the description of her dream, of the life she wished for herself and John as if no one was listening but at the same time everyone was so that they can catch a glimpse of how much she wanted it to happen. "We'd introduce ourselves because that's what we're supposed to do but at the same time we'd feel at ease with each other, as if we had known all our lives that we were suppose to find each other."

_"I can manipulate fire"_

_When people touch my skin something happens to them, they just get hurt. I don't want to hurt you"_

She was starting to loose her courage again, her composure as the reality of their lives forced itself upon her psyche, pushing away the trance her mind had dreamed up and before she knew it the tears swept her away. "Why can't we have that John?" She said through loud sobs as he made his way to her, pulling her into the safe harbors of his arms.

"Marie, we have that now. We're here now with each other and nothing is going to change that," he tried to console her; not exactly sure what she was so upset about.

"No we don't because you're leaving again. Please, John, please, just for tonight stay with me," she pleaded with him, almost begged him.

"Rogue, I have to do this," he said as he pulled away from her, trying to reassure her with his eyes. "This is who I am, remember? I will always stand for my convictions and I need you to support me. I need to know that when I come back you'll still want to be with me."

"I'm always going to love you, no matter what." The truth was she did love him for who he is; she admired him to have the strength to stand up for what he believed was right and she learned from his strength as well, using it as a pillar for when she felt weak, and now she felt very weak.

"Things will work out, I promise," he told her and reached behind her for his wrist igniter that he placed on the bedside table. Watching him strap it on his right hand, Rogue almost saw the terror that awaited him reflect off the thin metal of the weapon.

He gave her a simple kiss on the lips; a kiss that she wished was enough for him to stay and watched as he proceeded out the door. "I love you, John" she choked out, hoping that for at least one moment he can finally see that they could have the life she had wanted for them if he would just let go of all of his duty and unwavering belief and tell her he loved her too.

"I know, Marie, me too," he told her as he leaned back to look at her and adjusted the collar on his jacket. "I'll be back, I promise," he said and opened her palm, placing his lighter into it, "here, for protection," and with his final words to her he disappeared through the doors as Rogue watched just like an army wife would at seeing her love enter the bitter fields where so many victims before them had died for an invisible cause, a cause that had made many of them widows.

*****

"Logan?" Marie said as she entered the intimidating man's room, searching for the protection of her stand-in father. She knew if there ever was a time that she was upset he would try to make things right; he would try to not let anything cause her physical or emotional harm in anyway because that was what Wolverine did, protect his young charge. Seeing John walk out the door and onto what she can only guess as his inevitable end caused her more pain than anything she had ever felt.

"Logan, are you here?" She heard a few grunts from his private bathroom and watched as the tall, messy haired man, stepped out and met her in the middle of his resting area.

"Is everything ok?" He asked with a genuine concern, clearly noticing her tear stained face and the hoarseness of her voice.

"Logan, there's something I have to tell you," she spoke to him with such dire pain that his senses blocked out any other distraction as he listened to her frantically explain the situation that John Allerdyce was walking into tonight.

*****

**Well, it took a lot for me to write this chapter but here it is. What's funny is the fact that I already have the ending written I'm just having trouble getting the characters there. **

**Previews for Chapter Fourteen**

**-As of right now there's no concrete previews because again nothing is written oh but hopefully the motive behind the hellfire club will be revealed, hopefully.**

**Please read and review, it makes me happy :)**


	14. Chapter 14: Trap

Stolen

Chapter Fourteen

*****

The pendulum's swing was the only sound that echoed in the quiet room and even then its irritating noise bothered Magneto. It had been hours since Pyro had left with his six chosen team members and still he had not gotten word of whether or not they had succeeded in their plan to drum up more information concerning the mutant camps. Erik was worried and not necessarily for the physical safety of Pyro but he questioned whether or not John had abandoned all their careful planning and just left. Something had changed in him; both he and Mystique felt it the moment he stepped into the building. There was an air of apprehension in him and his steps were more cautious than normal. It seemed as if he was debating the moral ethics of their strategy and he knew where it stemmed from, that wretched ex-mutant of a girl.

He should have seen this coming of course when Mystique first told him about Pyro's residence during his probationary period; being around that girl had always tamed the fire manipulator and Magneto knew that, but he also knew John and his true nature. Pyro was a stubborn man who would never let something as simple as his regard to his personal bliss get in the way of the greater picture, which was why it was so easy to persuade the young mutant to begin with. Pyro thirsted for change, for self preservation and Magneto had fed on that the moment he saw him. But things were different now; he was different and it was because of Rogue.

Getting up to stop the swinging pendulum his mind twitched a little. He felt something odd, something powerful; he felt alamantium. "Wolverine, tell me do what do I owe to have your company?" The powerful mutant said not turning around to face him.

"Can the small talk, Magneto, you know why I'm here." He said gruffly, feeling the frustration set in of having to converse with someone who manipulated the woman he loved into her untimely death.

"I'm afraid you have me lost for words. I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about." He turned slowly, looking at the tall mutant and knew if it had been any other day when his powers were fully restored, he would have no problem subduing the angry man.

"Where's Pyro," he asked sternly with no real aggression at the mention of John's name.

"I'm afraid he is not here."

"I didn't ask if he was here, I asked where he was," Logan was getting impatient and Magneto knew that it would only be a matter of time before the animal in him would show its fierce color.

"Logan," the older mutant said as he turned around to meet his eyes, "Right now John is doing something that needs to be done, something that the X-Men refuse to do. He is ensuring the survival of mutants everywhere."

"I'm not in the mood for your riddles or lectures, just tell me where the kid is."

Magneto thought momentarily and wondered why wolverine who obviously hated anyone associated with the Brotherhood would be so concerned with the location of one of its leading members. He sensed that there was no hostility in his voice at the mention of Pyro's name and noticed that his claws have no made their appearance yet. Thinking it best for survival reasons, Magneto was about to share the broad location of where John was until a frantic young mutant entered the room, battered and dishevel, falling on the ground, trying to regain his breath.

*****

"Where do you want us to go?"

"What is the next direction?"

"Pyro, where do you need us to be?"

Their voices kept asking him, seeking guidance but he did not hear them. The words were lost on him as the echoing vision of the terror of the camp filled his mind with their traumatizing agony. He had a sense of what it would be like. He saw the pictures and prepared himself mentally as best as he can but no one can really prepare themselves to see such pure anguish.

On the dirt fields there were rows and rows of energy drained mutants walking a uniform line, doing uniform tasks. Their hands and feet cried for the relief of a days end while their eyes and mouth screamed for rest and hydration. Their thin bodies barely clung to the rags that hung loosely on them. There were woman and small children that labored as a handful of guards watched them, their hands clutching tightly to some remote. John knew what that remote was, had seen it a couple of times himself. The controller was the device that activated the immunity band that he himself had worn before and felt their identity draining effects.

"Pyro, what is the next course of action?" Lance Alver's voice pulled him from his alarming state of mind. Shaking his head slightly, John gave the area another once over and stopped at the giant building that situated itself under the dam, almost using the force of the water as a last means of protection should anything happen. That was where they needed to be; the answer to the uprising of this god forsaken place would be found there.

"We need a diversion," John stated, not taking his eyes away from the building. He brought his right hand and swiftly motioned it forward, signaling for Lance to step up. Without hesitation the lanky, tall, dark haired mutant lifted his hands and rolled his head back. His eyes turned serious as a concentrated wave of earthquakes ripped through the valley before them, startling all the captured mutants and guards alike.

"NOW," John yelled as he thrust his arm forward and watched as the six men went running towards the building, him following behind the flank to make sure they were safe. Mutant women held onto their young children, awaiting direction. Laborers took this opportunity to try to run, only to be subdued by the guards as the immunity band shocked them into a stop. The inhumanity of it all disgusted John and he felt his skin burning with fever as he made his way to the building.

The men before him stopped dead in their tracks upon entrance into the large building. The mistake of their hesitation was realized when out of the corner of his eyes, John noticed a guard communicating into his walkie talkie but he just brushed it off, deciding to deal with it later as soon as he pulled his men out of their stunned shock.

When he stepped inside the building his initial reaction was to yell at his subordinates but found himself in a state of fear that mirrored their own. The building housed wall to wall of sentinels that were being produced at an alarming rate. At the very center of the factory was the largest sentinel that had wires attached to his head and foot as the center of his body spat out more and more sentinels. His electronic voice spat out monotonous commands to the mutants that did the small assembling and sorting parts.

They were all so stunned that they did not hear the shouts of an approaching guard as he activated a handful of sentinels that charged at them. Breaking the men out of their daze they stood ready to attack the oncoming laser beams and ruthlessness of the robots.

IDENTIFYING ONE JOHN ALLERDYCE AKA PYRO, ONE LANCE ALVERS AKA AVALANCE, ONE MORTIMER TOYNBEE AKA TOAD, ONE FREDERICK J. DUKES AKA BLOB, ONE LOUIS HAMILTON AKA STONEWALL, ONE JASON WYNEGARDE AKA MASTERMIND, ONE PIETRO DJANGO MAXIMOFF AKA QUICKSILVER. PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN AND DISENGAGE NOW

The robot screamed at them but they refused to yield. John, seeing the building full of innocent powerless mutants and guards alike knew that this was not the place to be a martyr, at least not right now.

"Retreat now," John yelled to his teammates and signaled for them to follow him out. They did not hesitate to follow their leader out the door, hearing the thunderous footsteps of the machines on their trail. Trying to avoid the onslaught of lasers and gunfire they made their way close to the gated exit. He prepared himself by igniting a small flame, ready to blow the gate open with the force of his fire. His eyes caught the attention of a small boy struggling to get up as his underside was met by the boot of the angry and brutalizing guard.

"Pyro, do something," Lance yelled at him as they waited by the gate. His hesitation cost them as John saw the falling limbs of Lance Alvers whose fleeting body was damaged by the laser of the massive robot. Turning around he was met with the large robot, the robot that had once helped them from the Friends of Humanity back at the institution. His mind could not understand such drastic changes thinking about the idea that the robot that saved them in the past was made at the enemies' land. With an angry furry he sent a large blast of fire towards the sentinel with one hand and with the other told his men to find their way home without him.

*****

Rogue did not know why she was here in such a dark place waiting for a man she did not trust. She remembered curling up in a ball on her bed after telling Logan about John and the Brotherhood and his resounding authority for her to stay at the mansion regardless of how much she wanted to go with him to find John. She remembered Bobby and Storm checking on her and Marie waving them away, not really wanting to deal with trying to be strong in their presence. Then she remembered the call.

_Is this Marie D'Ancanto?_

_Yes, who is this?_

_This is Tom Hartley, if you want to save your boyfriend meet me at 6th and Spring behind the Midtown building, come alone._

_Wait, why are you…_

_Do you want to save your boyfriend?_

_Yes_

_Then do as I say_

He hung up on her before she can even breathe her next question. She should have told someone where she was, she realized, but her mind kept wrapping itself around the danger that John could be in that she acted irrational, just like him. She stared at the traffic to the side of her and how quiet it recently became. Putting her hand in the pocket of her green trench coat she clutched the lighter in there to help calm her nerves and remind her that some part of him was there protecting her. Her ears caught the sound of quiet footsteps approaching her and she turned around to see the figure of a man with a briefcase in hand. As he came closer to her she can see the fear in his eyes as beads of sweat glistened off his forehead.

"Rogue" he more so asked her to verify who she was then stating his acknowledgement of her.

"Yes," she said simply as she examined the man, her judgment telling her to not trust him quite just yet.

"Walk with me, we have to keep moving," he told her not breaking his stride as he slowed down for her to step in sync with him.

"What is going on?"

"There's a lot going on, things you do not want to know nor should you know." He nervously looked behind him as if expecting someone to be following him.

"What's going on with John?"

"He's safe for now, but this is bigger than him. The Hellfire Club's extension and powers goes way beyond the point of some reckless mutant."

"What does the Hellfire Club want with John," she asked him harshly as she stopped and turned him to face her. "What does Sebastian Shaw want with John?" She finally said his name, the name of the man that was supposed to be helping them with John's trial.

"I'm surprised you don't already know, Kitty would have figured it out by now. This never was about John but about what he represents, about what his actions represent to both the mutant and human community."

"I don't understand," she said to him with wide curious eyes, the same eyes that his young daughter had every time she asked him a question.

"To the mutant community John represents everything they're not, someone willing to step up and fight the system, the bigotry. To the human community they see him as a terrorist but at the same time some see him as reformed extremist, as hope that there can be a peace between both kinds. To them he is proof that they do not have to be afraid anymore. Why do you think Sebastian Shaw always checks up on him and makes his good behavior public knowledge?"

"But that's his job; he's supposed to be helping John. It's what he does, he helped us before. Why are you helping us now?" She asked him the question that had been bothering her since she picked up the phone. Why was Tom Hartley helping her now when before he refused to get her involved?

"Because, things have gone too far, I cannot have someone else die because of my inability to act." He looked at her seeing part of his daughter in her and he was reminded of the type of government that he could be endorsing, the type of environment that his precious daughter would have to live in if he did not act.

"Tell me what you know, tell me what I need to do," Rogue asked him, feeling some of her defenses weakening at the sight of the concerned man.

Before he could speak a slender figure revealed herself from behind the dark shadows of the building.

"I think that's quite enough, Hartley," the smooth venomous voice of Emma Frost resonated from her as she held her left hand at her hips that was covered by a long white skirt, so white that her skin almost paled next to it.

"Miss Frost?" Rogue questioned, not hiding her surprise at seeing the viciously cold woman before her. She looked different than Rogue had seen her before. Her perfect body was no longer hidden behind her usual attire of a suit jacket and button downed blouse. The long white skirt clung to her lower half very tightly and her toned stomach was bare with only a small top covering her bosom. Her hair was down and flowing as it danced in the light wind.

"Emma," Tom Hartley's voice was laced with fear as the approaching woman circled him.

"You think I couldn't hear you Tom, sense your guilt? I would think you knew me better than that." Emma Frost's voice taunted him as he nervously tried not to meet her eyes. "Don't be too shocked Tom, we've been following you for days. We knew that you'd eventually turn rogue because you're weak, just like Pryde."

"You killed him," Marie demanded, "You killed Carmen and Kitty." She just laughed at Rogue's outburst.

"Oh please, I don't do the dirty work myself but they got what they deserved. They never would have contributed anything to the Hellfire anyway."

"Why are you here Emma?" Tom asked her, trying desperately not to let her know just how much she terrified him.

"I'm here, Tom," she hissed his name, "Because I knew you would do my work for me," she stared at Rogue as she said this and suddenly Tom realized his mistake. "I knew you would lead me straight to her," she said and quickly flicked her wrist.

Rogue saw both their eyes on her and saw the pleading look that Tom gave her as if for her to run but before she could move or even register what he was trying to tell her she felt a sharp pain hit her neck. She felt the poison enter her body and made her muscles limp. Her body collapsed onto the hard concrete as she tried powerlessly to fight the medication that was entering her blood stream. Her eyes felt heavier and heavier as she drifted off into a subconscious slumber hearing the last sentence echo into her dreams.

_Now get out of here and do what you're suppose to you pathetic man before I have you taken care of too_

*****

"Pietro," Magneto said as he hunched over to help the battered boy to his feet. Logan pulled a chair to help the wounded mutant rest and hopefully get some answers from him. "What happened boy?"

"It's…..they…." he stammered still in shock at his near death.

"Where's Pyro?" Logan asked the question for Erik as he watched the silver haired man trying desperately to catch his breath and make coherent sentences.

"They're….he's…they've got him." He choked as he put all the weight onto his hands that were leaned against the table in front of him.

"Who's got him?" Logan demanded, thinking about the heartbreak that would wash over Marie's innocent eyes as he had to tell her that he had failed her, that he could not protect her from the pain of heartbreak and loss.

"The Friends of Humanity," Pietro said and fell unconscious on the wooden table. Hearing that the wolverine marched to the door as images of train stations and running away and shattered hearts enter his mind. His psyche was so clouded with images of a crying and disappointed Rogue that he did not hear the warning from the metal manipulator behind.

_Wolverine, there's more to this, don't be brash_

*****

The tension and anger in the room reflected the flaming heat that sung on the skin of the bound and unconscious boy that lay on the floor. Graydon Creed had made a terrible miscalculation and the evidence of it was the battered young man in the room. His mistake could cost them everything and she was not about to let him forget that.

"You fool, you ungrateful fool," Emma Frost hissed as she bent down to examine the boy closer. He suffered severe laser burns across his upper torso and there were small bruises and cuts across his face but otherwise he was in a solid state, but still, this encounter had been to close a call for Emma.

"Relax, Frost, he's still alive," Creed tested her, not knowing the true end to her anger.

"It doesn't matter whether or not he's alive, the point is you nearly jeopardize our entire operation," Sebastian Shaw screamed at the man. "When we made this deal Creed, you were given careful instructions to not hurt the boy. You were supposed to go after his team but leave him in tact, let alone capture him!"

"I don't like your tone Shaw," Creed stood up from the table, letting his chair fly across the room from the sudden movement. "He's a mutant, he's lucky I let him live. He should be in the fields like the rest of his kind."

"His kind," The white queen hissed as she used her power of telekinesis to send the large man across the room, the strength of her mind pinning his arms to the wall. "I don't think you understand our arrangement, Creed, so let me reiterate it to you again." She said coyly as she walked towards him, moving her face just inches before his, taunting him, letting him know that she had control of the room. "The only reason your pathetic excuse for an organization is alive is because we find some use in it, therefore by proxy you're alive. But all it takes is one wrong move Creed and I won't hesitate." With her threat she spun him around and sent a chair to his back as she laughed at his painful grunts.

"Emma, that's enough," Sebastian Shaw coaxed her to stop. "We need to figure out what to do with the boy."

"Well, lucky for you two, I had alternative methods," she said and waltzed to the closet door and opened it, revealing to them the sleeping girl that she had captured earlier.

"What is your plan Emma?" Shaw asked her as he approached the sleeping girl and brushed her hair out of her face to see her distinct features.

"It's simple, we make sure to put him where he needs to go but not before leaving him a little present," she said as she looked at the girl and huffed at the pathetic limp body before her.

*****

**Well, I've broken out of my writer's block a bit. I have not quite given all the information away in this chapter but it's coming. If not in the next one then definately the one after that. I'm attempting to make a video trailer for this story but I'm having trouble trying to find an instrumental piece to go with the tone of the story so if you guys have any suggestions let me know. Just so you guys know the next few chapters are going to be rather short because I just love cliffhangers....I know that's mean. **

**Previews for Chapter Fifteen**

**-A very important discovery is made about Magneto**

**-Tom Hartley makes a decisive move**

**-I wanna say that the entire conspiracy plot will reveal itself in the next chapter**

**-Oh, here's something to look forward to in chapter sixteen, I pay homage to two certain actors that influenced this story greatly**

**Don't forget to read and review**


	15. Interlude

**Stolen Interlude**

Well, as you can tell this is not an update. As some of you know, I was suffering from writer's block for awhile and the result of that was a video that I made based on Stolen. I have never made videos before and I have to say that it is hard so I have a lot of respect for the ones that do it out of pure enjoyment. The video is posted on youtube. Here's the link

**************h t t p:// you tube. com /user/LeahAKnight**

Since fanfiction won't let me add a link, just copy and paste the above but remember to remove the spaces between them first, or you could always search for my user name.

Some of the scenes should seem familiar as it was based on the first couple of chapters. I am planning on adding to this video preview because it really was a good way to overcome my writer's block. I hope you guys enjoy it. Leave comments on here or youtube.

Also, here is a snapshot of what's to come

*****

_"Be careful what you say to me, boy, they may follow you but don't ever forget who made you," he said and got up, hovering over John who was undoing the leather strap of the igniter. "Now, when do we attack?" He asked the question with such confidence that John knew it was more a command than a question._

*****

_"Tom Hartley?"_

_"Mr. Drake, your friends are in trouble," he told the skeptical teen, not verifying or denying his identity._

*****

_"What do you want with me?" She summoned up the courage to speak to the obviously powerful woman. _

_"I don't want anything from you," Emma Frost said as she got up from her seat and approached Rogue, "It was never about you. It was always about that little fire bug that hangs around you."_

~Leah


	16. Chapter 15: Hidden Agenda

Stolen

Chapter Fifteen

*****

The room was small and there was a stale moldy scent in the air. John moved slightly, feeling the heavy burden that his battered body was having on him. His eyes still felt heavy as he kicked his leg out, noticing that they touched the wall as his shoulders pushed itself from the other wall that he was resting his weight against. He can still feel the sting of the laser burns on his chest as he groggily opened his bleary eyes to try to fathom his surroundings. It was dark but judging by the size and dimension he had to be in some sort of closet. His wrist igniter was still strapped to his right hand but he felt the metal digging into his skin slightly, almost drawing blood.

Steadying himself on his weak legs, he shook his head to try to regain his composure. He remembered going down very quickly as the sentinel targeted him, John just hoped that his teammates made it out ok. Those sentinels were dangerous, they were far too heavily armed to deal with just occasional uprisings, he realized. They had to have been built to serve a bigger purpose but he would worry about that later, right now his only concern was getting home alive. Opening the door slowly he eyed the adjacent room through the small crack he created. He was very surprised when he opened it all the way to reveal a dirty and dusty motel room.

Walking out of the closet, completely surprised by his surroundings, he wondered why they would bring him here. It did not matter he thought, he will worry about it tomorrow. As he stepped out of the establishment he noticed that he was just blocks away from Magneto's lair. It was as if whoever had left John there wanted him to find his way back and quickly.

It did not take John long to rush into the abandoned building and ignoring the worried cries and shouts from the other members he rushed into the small private room and pulled out the blueprints to the camp.

"Pyro," Magneto spoke with a voice that bordered disappointment and anger. "What has happened?"

"We were ambushed," John lied, knowing full well that the failure was due to his inability to act quickly. He made marks on the map designating the more dangerous areas that had a quicker access to the main building and other markings to show where the mutant chambers were; now that they knew what they were up against they needed to be better prepared.

"Only Pietro came back," Erik said the sentence that made John look up from his work. "I think it's about time we avenge our fallen members." John looked at him thinking back to the moment at the camp when he hesitated, when his apprehension had cost his team members their lives. He had stupidly thought that if he distracted that one robot enough they would have the chance to flee, clearly he miscalculated and did not realize that there were hundreds of robots that could have easily been activated and destroyed the other members.

"No, we can't, it'll be like sending them into a bloodbath. Do you know what they're building there?" He was unintentionally shouting at his mentor now. "They're making sentinels and thousands of them. We were attacked by them. They were ready for us."

Magneto just smiled at John and sat down, "Well, then, perhaps now would be the best time to act. Metal robots, we could have complete control over them."

"How," John barked back, "You're not exactly one hundred percent," he reminded Erik but was just met with a comical laugh. Slowly Magneto raised his hand and snapped his fingers and very quickly John felt shards of metal penetrate his skin as he grasped his hand that was bleeding from the shattering of his wrist igniter.

"Be careful what you say to me, boy, they may follow you but don't ever forget who made you," he said and got up, hovering over John who was undoing the leather strap of the igniter. "Now, when do we attack?" He asked the question with such confidence that John knew it was more a command than a question.

"We'll talk about this when I get back," he said and rolled up the blueprints, not caring that his bloody hand was staining the large paper. With an air of arrogance and defiance he walked out of the room, almost hearing the gritting teeth of Magneto as he made his way outside. Magneto had regained his complete powers, they would attack the camp, but none of that mattered to John, he had to see her above all to remind himself exactly what he was fighting for.

*****

Tom Hartley sat facing his desk, the cold and shiny face of the phone kept calling to him. After his confrontation with Emma Frost he was surprised that she did not kill him on the spot and was grateful for his professional because the fact that he was the prosecutor for John Allerdyce's trial was the very reasons she did not crush him then and there.

He slid the mouse of his computer over his personal documents and opened up an encrypted folder that only he knew the password to. His mind never left the image of the fallen Marie D'Ancanto and every time he tried to wash his memory of her vulnerable face it was replaced by the image of his small daughter. He would not sacrifice another child to the wolves that was the Hellfire Club. He could not do this again, he needed to make things right, he told himself as he reached for the phone on his desk and dialed a much searched for number.

The number that he dialed would be someone that can help him or if anything directs him where to go next. It took him days to search through Kitty Pryde's cell phone records to find the one number that she called the most; the frequent number of the person that she turned to during her final days.

"Hello? Mr. Robert Drake?"

"Yes, can I ask who is speaking?" It was another child; he heard the adolescence in the voice. He did not want it to come down to the aid of yet another teenager who had not lived long enough to truly have an appreciation for life but right now he was out of options.

"I cannot tell you who I am but just know that I am trying to help, just like I tried to help Kitty before her accident," he knew that would jog the boy's memory.

"Tom Hartley?"

"Mr. Drake, your friends are in trouble," he told the skeptical teen, not verifying or denying his identity. "I can't help John Allerdyce because I don't know what they did with him but Marie D'Ancanto is being held against her will at the Friends of Humanity labor camp."

"If you do anything to her……" Before the ice man could finish, Tom Hartley interrupted him.

"She is located in the main building, they're keeping her alive for now but I don't know for how long and why. Listen this is very important, the main building is not what you think it is. The main building is the small building on the side facing the north entrance and not the large one near the dam. Find her and get her out of there but whatever you do stay away from the dam." He said and before he could even hear Bobby breathe he hung up. Turning back to his computer and seeing the various files on his computer to proceed to delete them all.

_Pryde, C_

_GWM Incorporated_

_Genosha_

*****

Her head throbbed and her wrists were irritated from the rubbing of thick rope around her naked hands. She could not tell if her headache was due to the fact that she had fallen hard on concrete or the sedative she was injected with.

When Rogue opened her eyes she found a pair of icy blue ones staring at her. Realizing the potential danger she was in her body reacted and she scurried to the wall of the room, as far away from the white queen as she can. Emma Frost was seated on a grand crushed velvet chair the color of a deep rich merlot that had golden handles, which she rested her hands on. Fine mahogany furniture decorated the lavishing room and the only thing more extravagant than the furnishing was the woman herself.

Rogue's hands were bound in front of her with a thick rope that she could barely wiggle her fingers. While her feet were left released, the sedative had made them feel like rubber and she knew there was no way she could balance her weight on them. Staring at the beautiful goddess in front of her Marie noticed for the first time something that she should have seen before, something that she had always seen but never paid attention to, the crest on the ring that she wore was the same symbol that had been the source of all of her worry filled nights.

"What do you want with me?" She summoned up the courage to speak to the obviously powerful woman.

"I don't want anything from you," Emma Frost said as she got up from her seat and approached Rogue, "It was never about you. It was always about that little fire bug that hangs on your every word."

"What have you done with John?" She made no effort in hiding her concern, all the horrible things that could have happened to her beloved kept replaying itself in her mind that she found it unbearable.

"You should be thanking me," she knelt down to be eye level with Marie. "I saved his life before Creed could have his way, of course it wouldn't really matter anyway, after all sacrifices have to be made." Very roughly she grabbed Rogue by the hair and tilted her head back and for the first time, she saw the anger in Emma's eyes, "Your little affair almost cost us everything."

"What do you mean?" She tried to choke back the sobs as her words tumbled out of her dry mouth. She has not told her what happened to John yet and Rogue knew she had to keep her talking if she wanted answers, if she wanted to know whether or not any harm was done to him.

"John has always been very brash, volatile," Emma finally released Rogue from her viral grip and gracefully proceeded to the cabinet, and helped herself to a glass of red wine. "We knew it would not take long to persuade him into action, but you, you changed him. You made him hesitate, think, even care," she said sharply as she turned around to face Rogue again, mindlessly swirling the wine in the glass.

"I don't understand, you and Sebastian Shaw, you were helping him." She cackled at Rogue's statement, a laugh that made her skin crawl.

"Stupid girl, we had no intention of _helping_ him, we were helping ourselves. All those visits, those reports, it was for me to have access to him, to see in his mind." _See into his mind_, it finally dawned on Rogue that Emma Frost was a telepath, which was how she knew about their relationship even before she told her; she read and experienced John so intimately that she knew what he was going to do before he even knew. "It was to make sure he would act," Emma said harshly.

"He'll find me, he's not afraid of you," she tried to threaten and that was met by a seriousness that canvassed the blonde's long eyelashes.

"My dear, the point is for him to try to find you." Rogue gave her a quizzical look that just made more bouts of sinister laughter escape her lips. "Don't you see? This was about fear, the fear people had for him, and the fear they will have for mutants and human alike knowing that a once reformed terrorist would attack a harmless base such as this. Of course the true humor of it is the fact that this harmless base run by so called moral humans has been doing immoral things."

"The Friends of Humanity, you're working for the Friends of Humanity? But you're a mutant too, how can you?" Emma cackled even more at the appalling thought that the Friends of Humanity could ever have any control over her.

"The Friends of Humanity are about as useful to us as your little fire eater. They don't know what's coming and they'll attack too."

"I don't get it, what does this have to do with anything, why are you trying to start another war?"

"And hear I thought Xavier's students were the best and the brightest," she said as she dropped her wine glass on the table and walked back over to Rogue. "It's about absolute power, the power the inner circle will have once the people vote to pass the Sentinel program. Their fear from this impending battle will force them to vote so that Sebastian Shaw will have dictation and unquestionable authority over the robots."

"You did this? You sent them to attack the school; you told them about us." Rogue was trying desperately to piece everything together from the day that John had stepped back into their lives to all the little events that has lead her here.

"They were a mere pawn for the bigger plan, after all we needed someone to be the first to launch the program and who better than one of their own," she said maliciously.

The bill, Rogue realized, this was never about John or about the Friends of Humanity; this was about something as insignificant as a delegation process, something that Rogue and so many others have failed to look at.

It all made sense to her now, the Hellfire Club were the ones that were pushing the buttons to pass that bill, they set up the attack so that Hank McCoy, a mutant ambassador, can finally vote to release it from the committee. That picture of Graydon Creed and Carmen Pryde, they were signing an agreement to the technology rights and research of those machines. Rogue's eyes sunk with horror as she remembered Emma Frost's words _sacrifices have to be made_; they were going to send John to his death. They knew he would come looking for her and they were ready for him.

"Now do you understand?" Emma Frost smiled sharply at her as she went back and situated herself on the regal chair.

"You won't get away with this," she tried to threaten but to what avail? After all, Emma Frost is a mind reader, she can see pass all of Rogue's defenses.

"I already have and when they pass that mutant registration act, it'll make it even easier for us to track and destroy our enemies so that the Hellions are the most powerful and no one else.

"John's smarter than this," she more so tried to reassure herself than threaten the white queen, "He'll know what you're trying to do, he won't fall for it." She frantically spat out the words to the smiling woman who just tilted her head up and lifted her eyebrows.

Before Rogue could continue or say anything more she felt a tugging in the pocket of her coat and looked down to see the lighter John had given her float out of reach and into the hands of Emma Frost. "Oh but I do think he will come," she said as her hands grazed the surface of the polished lighter, "I truly do think he will."

*****

**Yay...finally, you're out of the dark. Now you know what the Hellfire Club was plotting, why the Friends of Humanity was involved, why Carmen Pryde was killed and all the other crazy stuff that I was trying to lead you guys too. Did I miss anything?? Are all your questions answered?? **

**Previews for Chapter Sixteen  
-The X-Men boys to the rescue...sort of  
-John has an epiphany  
-A homage is paid to two very talented actor and actress**

**Remember to please read and review**


	17. Intermission

**Stolen**

**Full Trailer **

*********

**I finally made the full trailer so please view it on youtube and let me know what you think. I did spend a lot of time on it. Don't forget to remove the spaces in the link. If the link does not work then you can search my name LeahAKnight**

******h t t p : / / w w w. y o u t ube .com/user/LeahAKnight**

**Also, I know at the end of the trailer it seems like Rogue was killed but that is merely to show that she was kidnapped in Chapter Fifteen and John is out trying to find her. It's a six minute trailer and I'm thinking of making another one as a means to visually continue telling the story. **

**~Leah **


	18. Chapter 16: Directions

Stolen

Chapter Sixteen: Directions

*****

Robert Drake had been waiting for hours. After telling Colossus, after both of them suiting up and after throwing in a quick agility test in the danger room there was nothing left for them to do but wait. Despite the rigorous obstacle course that was the danger room the hardest part for them had been waiting. He kept thinking about the precious seconds that were being lost waiting. Seconds that very well could mean the difference between life or death concerning Rogue, but nevertheless they were instructed to wait and like the obediant students they were, they waited. They were waiting for Logan to return, for him to direct them to what to do next. Storm thought it best for her to stay at the mansion and watch over the young ones so they were to be babysat by the wolverine. It frustrated him because they were not kids anymore, they were supposed to be X-Men and despite their empty titles they were still treated like subordinates and not equals.

Logan came in very swiftly as if he knew something was wrong and they stopped him before he could get any further than the kitchen. When he was told of the danger that Marie was in all they saw was a wave of fury as he rushed them out the door, all questions and reasoning out of his mind. But there was something that bothered Bobby as he sat in the back seat of the car and his mind raced with the last conversation between him and the wolverine.

_"Wait, Logan, what about John?"_

_"To hell with him, we need to find Rogue first"_

His lack of concern for Pyro was expected but there was still something else that bothered him. _Why wouldn't John be at the school, especially with his trial only a few days away?_ There was a slight tug at his conscience and a feeling that they were being set up. He tried to shake the feeling off as he kept telling himself; they can worry about it when they find Rogue because she would surely know where John was.

*****

The midnight air was cold and empty but the only thing he could feel at the moment were the sharp sting of his once bleeding hand and the bitter taste of being outmaneuvered. He had broken into a small store and gathered bandages and antiseptic for the wound. It was nothing serious, just minor cuts; the only thing he was angry about was the fact that he had to spend almost an hour picking the small metal shards out of his skin with delicate tweezers. There was a lot for him to think about as he walked the quiet streets; there were too many obstacles and not enough options for him anymore. He felt as if he was just walking towards a direction without knowing what the goal was. There was no destination and the road just kept getting longer and more winding as if his soul was always constantly on the move with absolutely no end in sight.

John saw a local diner that was still open and stepped inside, catching a whiff of the coffee aroma he had forgotten how tired he was until he plopped himself on a barstool and the messy haired waitress poured him a cup of the tantalizing beverage. He just sat there nursing the warm drink, his mind tracing over everything that had occurred in the last several hours.

He had failed his five comrades and they were probably dead or worst, slaving away at that mutant internment camp.

Magneto had regained his full powers and wanted revenge. He would be the best weapon against the sentinels, after all the man was capable of moving a whole bridge, but would that be enough?

There was no way they could win a battle against all those sentinels. Those robots were too heavily armed and did not feel pain like they did, how do you defeat something like that? The more important question that came to mind was who the hand that is controlling those robots?

His mind wandered aimlessly to Rogue, his beloved and innocent Marie who was probably sitting up all night worrying about him, waiting for him to come home. How could he tell her that he still had a bigger fight, a battle that he might not come back from? He had to come back, he told himself; he had promised her he would.

Breaking him out of his thoughts of endless battles, promises that needed to be kept and restless obligations were two voices to the left of him that dripped of sweet serenity. He looked over at them briefly and saw a young couple perfectly smitten with each other seated in a cozy booth, his hand holding hers in the middle of the table. The man was average height with light brown hair and a lanky physique. By most traditional standards the woman was a classic beauty with her long dark hair parted down the side and a clean fresh face clear of make-up but not as beautiful as his Marie, he thought to himself.

It was obvious to him that she could not have been more beautiful to the young man sitting across from her by the way that his eyes sparkled with adoration at every slight movement she made. They were both young and clearly in love and John could not help but image that every word uttered by the couple came from voices that sounded a lot like him and Rogue.

_"We're going to have to do this more often"_

_"Only if your dad lets us, this is a once in a lifetime occurrence, Marie, I'm not sneaking you out again just because you had the sudden urge to go to the beach, especially this late and on a school night. I'll be lucky if he doesn't call the cops on me for alledgedly kidnapping you."_

_"But you have to admit, John, it was beautiful, the stars, the waves, everything about tonight was perfect. I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world."_

_"Neither would I, Anna, neither would I."_

The waitress brought John out of his daydream when she gestured towards his empty cup of coffee and menu that was placed in front of him, not having been opened.

"You gonna order or am I gonna have to stand here all night?" She asked him with an annoyance in her voice as she tapped loudly on her pen to the pad of paper in front of her.

"No, just more coffee please," he told her and watched as she refilled his cup, his mind drifting back to the disastrous events of the night while giving the quiet couple their privacy.

"You look like you had a rough night sweetie," she said as she looked over at his bandaged hand and raised her eyebrows slightly at his battered face. "Did you get into a little scuffle?"

"You could say that," he said vaguely, not really wanting to talk to a total stranger about his business, especially one that would surely freak out if she knew she was serving a convicted mutant felon that was violating his parole.

"Well, night's almost over," she said simply and left him to his bland coffee and troublesome thoughts. The night was far from over for him and even if it came to an end there was still the next day and the day after that he would have to endure but to what end, he thought to himself. When would it all be over?

While contemplating the questions, his mind could not block away the endearing couple, Anna and Aaron age seventeen and eighteen just like Marie and him, and the simplicity in their relationship. They did not have to worry about death sentences or mutant camps or impending battles. The biggest dilemma they faced was the possibility of an angry father due to a missed curfew, something so simple but to the smittened boy it seemed so life threatening.

He tilted his head down a little shameful at invading their privacy and his eyes caught a glimpse of his hands and finally saw the brutal reality of the many battles fought and dangerous paths he had chosen. There were still evidence of the cold burns around his wrists and many deep scars that refused to fade along with new ones in the making. They were not the innocently clean hands that Aaron held Anna with, young adolescent ones but firm and ready enough to protect her should the need arrive. Anna's slight laughter were not the same as Marie's, although they mirrored each other in humor and admiration, the evidence of hardship and the experience of death did not linger in her voice like it had in his beloved Rogue.

They were simply two young teenagers experiencing the freshness of love with moments such as the one that he was vicariously living through. John felt a hint of resentment at their stolen moment, precious memories that he and Marie should be weaving together. Shifting his eyes away from his hands and staring longingly at the couple, he kept hearing Rogue's pleading words echo through his mind as he came to a rapid realization of what he truly yearned for and what his war torn soul needed.

_I mean if we were just normal blue collar mutants no X-Men no Brotherhood……_

_…..Working people who just happen to meet each other one day_

He wrestled the last small bills that he had out of his pocket and left it on the table. Lifting himself up from the counter stool, John gave one last agonizing glance at the couple before making his way out of the small diner with all the certainty in the world of where he was going, knowing exactly where this road was going to lead him and understanding full well that he too deserved be happy.

*****

**Anna and Aaron, I couldn't decide what to name the cute diner couple and as cliche as it is to use names that starts with the same letters I couldn't help myself. Anna Paquin and Aaron Stanford popped into my mind but seriously, how cute would they be if they really dated. The last segment with John was without a doubt my favorite portion to write and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. **

**Previews for Chapter Seventeen  
-Tom Hartley and "Samuel Vance" aka Mystique have a heart to heart  
-Bobby, Logan, Peter arrive at the camp  
-John tries to follow through with his new direction and plan**

**Don't forget to read and review, also I do hope you guys enjoyed the trailer I made but let me know. Your comments are my inspiration to write and post consistently.**


	19. Chapter 17: Devastation

Stolen

Chapter Seventeen: Devastation

*****

"Mr. Samuel Vance?" Tom Hartley asked through the phone. He still had many things to do, still have to atone for all of his inaction with very little time. "Mystique," he asked again through the phone hearing slight murmurs.

"How did you know?" An annoyed and feminine voice responded on the line. The truth was he had known for awhile, the day Sebastian Shaw and Emma Frost sat in the room to meet Samuel Vance and John Allerdyce was the day that the mind reader had informed Tom of the shape shifter. That was the day that everything started to fall into place for the Hellfire Club because they knew if there were people that would not hesitate to start a war it would be Magneto and Mystique.

"It's not important how I know, the important thing is what I am about to tell you."

"I don't associate with anti-mutant creeps," she said harshly and he knew he deserved that. After all, he is the man that was prosecuting one of her kind and someone close to her no less.

"Even if it means saving John Allerdyce's life," Hartley knew that would get her attention as he waited for a response for him to continue.

"John is fine; he's out of the hands of that mutant slave camp."

"If you want to keep him safe, keep him away from the camp no matter what." He tried to warn her as he entered the double doors of the grand room. "He'll want to go there again for Marie D'Ancanto, keep him away and save the girl."

"Why should I listen to you? I don't care what happens to that miserable girl."

"But John does, and he'll try to find her no matter what. If and when he does it'll mean the end of mutant kind in some form or another."

"Why are you doing this?" She asked him with obvious caution and curiosity.

"Because I want my daughter to grow up in a safe environment," he stated and nodded his acknowledgement of the woman in red that greeted him. "In order for that to be possible I need you to stop John Allerdyce from doing anything hasty that could upset the trial, he needs to be there to prove to everyone that mutants are not a danger to people and can be reformed." He could almost see the woman nod in approval on the other line as he continued. "I want you to know that I'm stepping down as prosecutor, this should move the trial back and buy him more time."

"More time for what?"

"To protect them all," he said simply and hung up his cell phone, staring at the woman in the room with a forced smile. "Hello, Wanda," he greeted her as she approached him.

"Tom, how are you?" He gave her the paper work and records that he had purged from his computer and from all records public and private everywhere, tucked into a neat folder. "Thank you," she accepted.

"How is Sarah," he asked about his young daughter. "Is she happy?"

"Marrow is doing just fine, would to like to see her?" Wanda Maximoff gestured to the adjacent large room where his disfigured daughter was safely harbored away from the prejudice and cruelty of the world that he had helped create.

*****

In all the years that they had been active and all the battles that they had fought, nothing could have prepared Robert Drake, Peter Rasputin and the Wolverine for the cruelty that was the mutant camp. They were not sure what to expect when Logan first ripped through the metal gate of the camp but they had not anticipated seeing such injustice. Bobby had felt his eyes were being raped by the visions of malnourished and beaten mutants young and old as they walked the line between death and devastation.

"What should we do?" Peter asked Logan who was also in a state of shock, trying to break him out of his daze.

"First thing's first, we need to find Rogue," he said remembering his directives from Bobby earlier and reminded himself of their captured member. "Bobby that lawyer guy said she was in the main building near the north, I'll go check it out," he told them and began to move in the direction of the tiny red brick building that was hidden away amongst the taller ones that surrounded the area.

"Wait, what about us?" Bobby asked, watching the wolverine turn around with a weary look in his eyes.

"Search the fields, see if Rogue is there, save who you can but don't bring any attention to yourselves, whoever was able to trap this many mutants must have some serious shit going on," he stated simply, leaving Bobby and Peter to watch his disappearing form. The iceman and the colossus looked at each other, both of them wrestling with their own personal moral ethics. They knew this torture camp had to be stopped and their fellow mutants liberated but at what cost? There were only two of them and too many mutants to be rescued, plus they had no idea who they were up against.

"What do you think we should do?" Peter asked the more stunned man who was examining the situation to the best of his abilities. Bobby was trying to play every scenario in his head and they all ended the same, with them killed or captured. It was moments like this that he wished John were here to tell them to step up regardless of the consequences. He would always motivate them to do what they knew needed to be done despite the odds against them.

Bobby focused on the ragged mutants and thought maybe it was not just the two of them, he realized when his eyes zeroed in on the black band around their wrists. His mind recognized it as the same immunity band that had suppressed John's powers before, one that he could easily render useless.

"First, we don't draw attention to ourselves," The iceman said as he started ripping pieces of his uniform off and caking it on with dirt and mud.

"Wait, Bobby, what are you doing?" The large metal mutant asked him with a cocked eye that thought Bobby had suddenly become crazy.

"The easiest way for us to get to those mutants would be to blend in with them, then," he said as he started forming clouds of frost on his fists, "we gather up as many of them as we can."

Peter nodded in acknowledgement and started to tear at his uniform too. He understood what Bobby meant; they were going to cultivate as many mutant powers as they can in order to take down the death site. While they were still unsure of what they were fighting against they were going to use the strategy of strength in numbers.

*****

The mansion had been unusually quiet when he walked in but he suppose that was for his benefit. There was no way he could explain the battle wounds that he had suffered tonight without suspicion. It was a little pass midnight, well above the curfew limitations and so he had no problem just walking into the hall of the girl's wing.

It did not take John long to gather up the necessary items that he would need for him and Rogue to find some peace. A twenty four hour coffee and internet bar served as the starting point for plane tickets to Genosha. Rogue always talked about that place and how happy it made her. He also remembered her telling him how remote and isolated it was, the perfect place for them to get lost and stay hidden forever. Train tickets were next, he knew it would be easier to convince her to go with him to a train station and then coax her into getting on the plane than bringing forth the subject of the distance that they would put between them and everyone they loved and cared for first.

John had to make sure they were well prepared for anything because he knew that after tonight a lot of people would be after him and his constant recognition would put her in danger. The Friends of Humanity have been trying to kill him for awhile and now that he knew they had the technology of the Sentinel program at their discretion, he had to be extra careful. He was already a convicted felon awaiting trial who was lucky enough to convince some poor fool to let him steal his identity for awhile, of course the persuasion came at the tip of the burning flame he held close to the boy's face. To top off his most wanted listing he knew he had become the enemy of the Brotherhood the moment he decided not to go back to Magneto who was waiting for him to lead the attack on the camp site_. Either you're with us or against us_, he remembered Magneto saying and when the master of magnetism found that John had deserted them then he would be most certainly be singled out as against them.

But all that was secondary, his life was secondary in comparison to the contentment he wanted with Rogue. People would say he had gone mad to risk everything for what they conceived as teenage love that would last as far as their next temptation or transition in life. They would tell him, try to convince him that they had not experienced enough to justify such extreme measures but they did not know that Marie and he had endured a lot in their short years than most people have in a lifetime. Who is to say that for one instance that Rogue and he had it? That they touched it, the one defining moment in their relationship that was pure and simple and not tainted by the cruelty of the world they lived in? He couldn't say that they have, but he did see it and in the most unexpected place and he felt what it were like to be Anna and Aaron and that is enough to make it all worth it for him.

John had spent hours making sure they were ready for anything before he set foot on the grassy knoll of the institution. He felt almost guilty for the multiple robberies he committed along the way but he knew that if they were to get away they would need a lot of cash on hand, cold hard cash that cannot be traced. Hearing his light footsteps make small creaking sounds on the floor boards he stood in front of Rogue's door and took a deep breath. _This is it_, he thought, there was no turning back now. He let himself in without even knocking, knowing that time was against them.

"Rogue," his voice echoed in the empty room. He had expected to see her sitting over her desk, examining the same documents that she had spent many hours over, but the room was hallow and empty. He speculated that she was probably sitting on his bed waiting for him like she had done so many nights before. He would find her sitting, waiting, watching the door nervously for him to enter and then see the wave of relief wash over her face at his return. Then she would run joyfully into his arms and he would hold her as if he had not held her in years and they would find themselves buried in the crisp sheets, lost in the passion of their love. He smiled at the awaiting scenario that danced in his mind and could almost smell her sweet fragrance that he thought would be waiting for him downstairs.

He gave her room a once over again and picked up her black bag that sat by the door, momentarily glad that she always had it prepared. Opening it up and digging through it he checked off the mental list in his head, clothes, water, blankets, and toiletries. John walked to her drawer and dug up an extra jacket to stuff in her bag in case they would be in the position where cold weather would be an issue. His mind raced as he tried to think of other personal items that she would need or at least sentimental items that she could not live without and absentmindedly his eyes glanced at her desk, at the jewelry box and he was reminded of the very first moment that she was his in every possible way.

_I'm here now and I need you to tell me that I have a chance, even if it's one in a million because I'll keep waiting if I do but if not then just one word, Marie, just one word is all it takes for me to stop._

_What else would you like me to say?_

_I want to know what I have_

_You had me, John._

He grabbed it delicately and marched to the elevator, thinking to himself of her beautiful face and perfect body that awaited him downstairs.

Hearing the door slide open he walked into a dark room that was strangely unfamiliar to him. Everything was there, the medical equipment, the bed, but there was an eeriness to the room as if it was different, as if something had changed about it. Turning the lights on, his heart panicked when he did not see Marie's warm welcome but instead was met with an empty void in the air.

"Marie," he said desperately to the empty room as if saying her name will automatically make her appear from wherever it is that she was. There was something off about the room; he felt it under his skin and it dug itself into his heart.

He started stepping slowly around the room just trying to figure out what was wrong with the environment. Th6e table, the heart monitor, everything was in place. His eyes traced over the bed and that was when he saw it. Bearing its ugly teeth at him was the lighter that he had given to Marie. He rushed to pick up the lighter and his hands grazed the picture that rested under it. Looking at the picture he felt the fire in his heart ignite as he flipped open the lighter and incinerate the photograph. That picture, that horrid picture that he wanted burned from his mind forever was too much for him to take. He did not want to have the vision of Rogue, his Marie, bound and battered with her swollen face and an immunity band on her wrist, to remain swimming in his thoughts. He knew from the band where she was; where they had taken her and it was the last place that he would ever wish for anyone to be especially his love.

Feeling the anger well up inside of him he snapped his lighter open again and released a fury of flames around the room that bursts with its wild onslaught of burning anger. The only thing that matched its towering inferno was the rage and fear in his heart.

*****

**For those of you that watched the video the line from this scene should sound familiar "_I want to know what I have. You had me, John."_ I couldn't help myself, I just had to incorporate it somehow. I know some chapters ago I said that there was probably only going to be 3 or 4 more chapters to go before the end but I'm finding that the characters are taking me to a different direction. In fact, I've had to rewrite the ending many times to fit the development of the characters. **

**Previews for Chapter Eighteen**  
**-Rogue's rescue, kind of**  
**-John and Magneto plots and plans, kind of**

**I know it's very vague but it'll make sense why I said kind of. **

**To answer Sage but not really give anything away Pyro and Rogue will eventually find some happiness but some of you will either hate the story or love it for the ending I gave them. **

**Please read and review, while I definately enjoy the enthusiasm that the current reviewers has given me I know I get more than 4 hits and I love constructive critism. It's really the only way I can grow as a writer and I'd appreciate some of that with no hard feelings what so ever. **


	20. Chapter 18: Last Resort

Stolen

Chapter Eighteen: Last Resort

*****

Rogue had not expected her. There was a lot of people that she would not be surprised to see, Logan, Storm, Bobby, even Jubilee, but after Emma Frost had left her alone in the room, after she spent what seemed like hours twisting and gnawing at the ropes that bound her hands, after calming down and accepting the fact that there really was nothing she can do, she heard the door creak open and was met by the blue skinned shape shifter herself.

"What are you doing here," were the only words that Rogue could utter past her disbelief.

"I should ask you the same thing," Mystique replied back coldly as she closed the door behind her but not before giving the corridor outside a quick once over. "Get up," she said and Rogue followed on command as she held out her hands for the scaled woman to rip through the nylon ropes with the small knife she had in hand. "We have to move fast. Can you walk ok?"

Marie shifted her weight a little and felt her legs tremble slightly at the change. She can walk just fine but she knew it would have to be very slowly and running was definitely out of the question.

"I'll be fine," she lied, not wanting to show an ounce of weakness in front of her, "Where's John?"

"I don't know," Raven Darkholme replied simple as she went back to the exit and pressed her ears to the door, listening for any sound of life. "Don't think for one minute I wouldn't gut you right here, but Pyro's the reason I'm here." She waltzed over in front of Rogue and leaned against the table in the room. "Now, you better tell me everything you know starting with Tom Hartley."

"I don't know," Marie said shaking her head, "I don't know anything about Tom Hartley. I just know he was trying to help. He was warning me about John and the Hellfire Club and everything."

"The Hellfire Club," Mystique tensed at hearing the name, "The Inner Circle is involved?"

"You know about them?"

"It doesn't matter what I know," she said grabbing Rogue by the wrist and leading her to the door, "What matters is that if they're involved then we're all in danger."

"Hold on a minute," Rogue hesitated a little at their escape route, "Emma Frost, she's a telepath, she can hear what we're doing and planning from who knows how far. We can't go out this way."

"A telepath, that ice queen is a telepath," Mystique more so told herself than Rogue, "Well, then we're fuck. If she has been reading our minds throughout all this time then she knew what we were planning. She knew about everything from the minute Pyro stepped onto that school."

"Wait," Rogue said quickly, remembering what Tom Hartley had told her, "John's trial, Tom Hartley mentioned something about John's trial and so did Emma Frost."

A wave of realization suddenly hit Mystique as Hartley's words echoed in her ears. He was going to buy them some time for the trial. The Hellfire Club was doing all this to keep John from his prosecution and they were close to falling into their scheme.

"We'll find him the minute we get out of here. Do you know any alternative routes?" The shape shifter asked Rogue who nodded in understanding. She looked around briefly for a minute trying to remember anything important, any details that she might have overlooked during her time here by herself.

"Quiet," Mystique said quickly, her body suddenly alert to the noise she heard outside. It was getting closer and closer to the door and the older mutant prepared herself by standing in front of the entrance, the gun in her hand ready to fire. Rogue heard the sound of the broken door and numerous gun fire as well as loud and angry grunts coming from the figure of her friend as he charged in and grabbed Mystique by the throat.

"I should have known you were involved," he grudgingly told her as the sharp points of his claws were inches away from her face.

"Logan, STOP," Marie screamed, watching as he turned his head slightly, the small reluctance enough for the agile woman to escape his grasp and hope on the table, a good distance from him. "She's here to help me."

"Help you?" Logan questioned as if the very thought that a Brotherhood member would be concerned with an X-Men was so absurd that it was downright unbelievable. "Why would she try to help you?"

"There's no time to explain," Rogue said rushing to the broken door and peaking down the halls to make sure that the raging man had not caused too much of a disturbance. "The important thing is getting out of here and finding John," she waved her hand to them, telling them to follow her as her weak legs forced her body out the door. Mystique and Logan followed behind her but not without hesitation of their own.

"I'm gonna want some answers later Rogue," the wolverine said as he eyed the blue skinned woman lurking next to him.

"You'll get them but now is not the time."

Logan, noticing the way her balance kept shifting gazed at her unsteady legs and scooped her into his arms and swung her onto his back, making sure she was comfortable and steady before they continued. Their pace quickened once Logan and Mystique started to gain some speed in their stride, Rogue's handicap no longer an issue.

"Hold on," Logan stopped abruptly as his ears flickered at the noises he heard in the distance, "Something's happening," he said and rushed quickly to the path that led out onto the fields with Mystique following closely behind him. The fields that he remembered being lined with rows and rows of feeble mutant slaves was now a torrent of destruction as masses of them rebelled and savagely beat and massacred their way towards the freedom of the hot open gates.

*****

He found himself directionless again and on the move. There really was no one he can turn to, no one he can trust concerning the life of the woman he loved. After his display of agitated rage and aggression he sought out the help of the weather witch who gave him no hope what so ever. She tried to assure him that Rogue will be found and Logan was leading the expedition. She had complete faith in the wolverine being able to track her down and bring her home safe, a confidence that John lacked. He would not be satisfied until he could see for himself that she was safe and despite the protests from Storm, he left the mansion seeking other means of a rescue. He had none, he thought to himself as he walked the narrow and damp streets, the heat of his anger radiating from the core of his body.

People who walked by him, after one glance, knew to give him extra space. Some even going so far as to changing their direction and walk on the other side of the street, as if they knew that being near him screamed danger and inevitable doom. He did not seem to care or even notice the stares and scurry of the fleeing feet around him, the only thing that played in his mind was Rogue.

He kept trying to shield his mind away from the ghastly picture he saw of her and every time he managed to divert his attention from it, his memories of her since the first day he arrived back at the school kept playing in his mind like some captivating black and white film that only made his heart splinter just a little bit more.

_..Just a simple touch to know that it's real, that I'm real…_

_..I always thought as different as we are somehow we could still be together and now I don't know. I don't know anything…_

_You had me, John_

He told himself that he would not come back here, that he would escape this life to be with her but now that she was gone he turned to the only form of solace he thought he had. The only way he knew how to bring her back to him so that they can finally live in the reverie of just being with each other.

Stepping inside the large building and letting the shouts and cheers drown itself out by his own misery and concern for the precious life that was Rogue's, he opened the door to the private chamber and stared the older man in the eyes.

"This is how we need to plan our offense," he told Magneto as he pointed to the markers on the map he just laid out before the impatient man.

"This is a very ambitious plan," Erik told him starring at the various markers on the blueprint of the internment camp. There were too many markers on the map, the metal manipulator noticed; their already diminutive number would be too divided and that would cause serious holes in their defense should any surprises happen.

"Yes, but if it works, this simultaneous attack will weaken their defenses where it counts, leaving the main building open territory." John signaled to the large building on the map that he saw near the dam. The very building that he was certain Marie would be held in if she was not in the field.

"It's where the Sentinels are housed, you and I can lead a separate attack there and you can do what you can to make sure those robots are out of commission before they can turn on us."

"You are aware of the risk of casualties in this method?" Magneto was curious as to why the Pyro would disregard the lives of so many of his countless comrades now when before he was so ready to protect even the smallest insect among them.

"It's a risk we're going to have to take if we are to see to it Graydon Creed doesn't do anymore damage." He wanted to personally watch Creed burn, thinking that it was his order to have Rogue taken from him; he was so sure of it. John wanted him to suffer and by his hands. He would not give that satisfaction to anyone else.

"Is that where you think Creed would hide?" He asked John, sensing the harsh animosity he had for the Friends of Humanity founder.

"If it isn't then I'll find him."

"I sense a strong amount of rage in you, Pyro, where is this stemming from?"

"Isn't there always?" He rebutted back, not wanting his superior to know the underlying reason behind his erratic plan.

"You said it's time we attack for the boys." John was trying to outmaneuver the powerful man, to pull at his emotion for the number that they had lost that night already but it was painfully obvious to him that he could not hide the tells of his heart.

"What vendetta do you have against Graydon Creed besides the obvious?" Magneto finally asked him the question that he was avoiding. It had always been easy for Magneto to read and analyze John because the young boy always moved with the passion in his blood. It was that same fiery craze that drew Magneto to him to begin with and saw all the untapped potential that the young mutant had, the same drive that Erik had learned to manipulate for his own benefit.

"Same as you," John tried to hide his real motive behind his hate for Creed and was rendered helpless by the look of disbelief on Magneto's face. He should have known better than to try to out play the great strategist himself.

"Do not think me a fool, Pyro. Now tell me what has happened that has made you want to execute such a bold plan?" His voice was sharp and resonate that it almost echoed out into the larger room.

"He took someone from me," He finally came clean to his mentor but still attempting to mask his emotional breakdown. His hand involuntarily wrapped itself around the lighter that he pulled out of his pocket a little bit more tightly as he flipped it open and closed, almost gritting his teeth in unison.

"I need you to act sensible in this, Pyro; we're talking about a war. This is something that composed men are glorified in and hasty men are killed in. The last thing we need is a loose cannon leading them on the field to their deaths." Magneto warned him, finally seeing the full extent of irrational fury the boy had in his heart.

"Look," he said sternly and not taking his eyes off the suddenly apprehensive man, "either you attack with me or I go alone, with _MY_ troops." John emphasized the possession he knew he had over at least half the men, knowing full well that if he were to say the word they would follow him to the edge of the earth.

The younger recruits and the newer ones were trained and fed off the stories of the great Pyro while Magneto stayed in hiding, they both knew that if either or them challenged each other it would cause a civil war within the Brotherhood. But Magneto was firm, he did not want a reckless boy blinded by devotion and fueled by revenge leading any battle plans.

"Do not threaten me boy," the older man stated and rose out of his seat, telling the young man that he was in control of the room. Lifting his right hand slowly, Magneto summoned the lighter out of the hands of John and into his grasp. Looking at it, he leisurely grazed his fingers over the edge of the teeth of the shark, "If it is a war you want, then a war you shall have but I will not take part in the delusion of your tactics to save that useless girl. If you are going to fight then fight for the right reasons before you spare any expense."

The master of magnetism then thrust the small lighter back into the unsuspecting hand of John, who was unprepared for the velocity of the force as it ripped back into his bandaged hand, the sheer strength causing his arm to swing back and his shoulder angled in pain.

"I do not need to remind you of the reasons why I am here and it is not for some whimsical romance." Magneto left him in the room alone after the power struggle between the two alpha males of the Brotherhood, a struggle in which the elder mutant clearly won, leaving John more broken than when he stepped into the abandoned building.

John just sat at the desk, blankly staring at the plans he drew up, the feeling in his hand starting to come back as it throbbed with an annoying pain. At least it wasn't broken, he thought to himself, referring to his precious lighter, the lighter that he had given to Marie to protect her and remind her of his ever watchful eyes, rather than his excessively damaged hand that the recent trauma on it had forced the old flesh wounds from earlier to open up, causing blood to drip through the bandage.

He really was alone in this; there were no other options for him anymore. John did not want to admit this but he needed Magneto's help if he were to save Marie. He needed some bargaining chip, an upper hand, against the multitudes of sentinels that awaited him and he thought he had that in Magneto's powers but the recent exchange left him with nothing.

He had to do this; he told himself as he rose from his seat, there was no other option. With the only clear image on his mind is that of a battered and beaten Rogue, he made his way to the door with the only driving force behind his actions and courage being the love he had for her, he stood before the masses of assembled mutants, who were waiting for him to tell them what to do.

"Tonight," he shouted to the crowd, "WE ATTACK!" He raised his fists up and watched as a wave of excitement generated from the crowd who were anxiously waiting for a taste of blood.

*****

**Well, this was probably the shortest and easiest chapter I've ever written.**

**Review for Chapter Nineteen  
-A would be X-Man makes an appearance and trouble ensures  
**

**Please Read and Review**


	21. Chapter 19: Rebellion

Stolen

Chapter Nineteen: Rebellion

*****

Robert Drake looked around cautiously as he leaned over the exhausted mutant and examined her to see if she was worth saving. This was not a position neither him or Colossus wanted to be in, having to decide which mutant was healthy enough to be able to withstand the rigorous escape ahead and which ones are just plain hopeless. No one wants to have to choose between the potentially living and dead but that was part of being an X-Men, was having to make the choices that no one else can or wanted too.

"Think she'll make it?" He asked for the opinion of the strongly built man next to him whose eyes scanned her frail body and hopeless eyes, the clumped dirt in her green hair making it appear like the color of dirty pond scum.

"What's your name?" Peter asked her as he lifted her up by the arms, watching her feet hold herself up while anchoring her weight against his.

"Lorna," she said quietly, not wanting to catch the attention of the few guards, "Lorna Dane." She looked at them and despite the torn leather and their dirt smeared faces; she could tell that they were not one of the enslaved. The tears were too clean and new and the energy level they possessed told her that they had not been victim to this torture for long.

"Who are you guys?"

"We're here to help," Bobby said quickly and brought his hand close to hers. To the eyes of the guards it looked like two young servants helping a fallen comrade but what they did not notice was the icy frost that started to wrap around the immunity band on Lorna's wrist. Once Bobby had frozen the band, Colossus delicately covered his hands around it and added just enough pressure to shatter the thick bracelet without hurting the wounded girl.

"Keep quiet," Bobby said to her as he turned his attention away and started to grudgingly march the line like so many mutants in front of him. Lorna followed suit but not without noticing the line of mutants behind him who were also nervously walking the same line, while trying to turn their naked wrists away from the superior eyes of the guards.

"We need information," Peter whispered to Lorna from in front of her, going through the same motions they did with all the previous ones that they were in the process of saving. "Who brought you here and why?"

"I don't know who brought me here. I was on my way home and then all of a sudden a giant robot attacked me out of nowhere and when I woke up next thing I knew I was here."

"What are they making you do?" Bobby added from behind her.

"We're building, I heard one of the guard say we're building the means to and end," she whispered to her saviors.

"The means to and end?" Bobby echoed her words, trying to dissect its meaning. "Do you anyone by the name of Marie D'Ancanto or Rogue that was taken hostage here?"

"Never heard of her," she replied back, her eyes catching the questionable gaze of a foot soldier as he approached her. She broke contact with him in the hopes that he won't notice her, like none of them did but their rapid exchange proved her wrong.

"You there," he said through his mustached lips and dark glasses as he hovered over the nervous girl whose concern became that of both Bobby and Peter, afraid that her moment of anxiety might expose their strategy for salvation. "What's all this chatter about?"

"Nothing," she stuttered, attempting to mask her contempt for the human individual on a power trip. She knew that without the dwindling effects of the immunity band that the insignificant man would be no match for her but at the same time she did not want to expose the rest of the individuals.

"Don't sound like nothing," he barked at her and pulled her out of the line up. Slowly circling her, he was trying to show his invisible display of power to frighten her. "What's your name?"

"Lorna Dane," she said quickly and was met by the sting of the back of his hand as he slapped the girl in the face as though she were a dog that needed to be punished for misbehavior.

Bobby can see her face getting hotter and can almost feel her anger as he watched her eye him, even daring him to do that again. This worried him because he knew that if she cannot stay composed they will surely loose everything that they had been fighting for.

"You have no name here," he shouted at her as he grabbed her by the ends of her scalp, forcing her head to tilt back to face him. "Unless we give you a name, you have none. Do you understand me?"

"Ye-yes," she gritted through her teeth. He released his hold on the girl and shoved her back in line.

"Now, what is your name?"

"Lorna Dane," she said absentmindedly and out of the corner of her eyes saw that he was about to lift his hand again to strike her. She would not stand for this; she is a mutant, a powerful mutant whose stubborn nature will not allow her to be struck twice by some insolent man.

She looked at the thick Swiss watch on his wrists and raising her open palm up stopped him by the metal gears and shiny face of the device. He looked at her angry face with a confused and almost frightened look, the same look that so many men before him had given her before trembling before her powers.

"My name is Lorna Dane," her voice was stern and powerful, "Don't ever forget that," she continued and with another swift movement of her other hand sent metal debris that was caked with dirt from the ground to his fearful face and large body. The onslaught of sharp and rusty metal pieces tore through his skin and clothes, rendering him a bloody mess as he fell to the ground at her feet.

Bobby and Peter looked at her and knew exactly what she was capable of, they saw it in the way her mind manipulated the metal, had seen it before in Magneto. She was a combination of hatred, recklessness, and power, all the things that they knew could potentially lead to their downfall.

The newly freed mutants gathered around her and the dead body, creating a circle around Bobby and Peter as they both examined the dead man.

"Why did you do that?" Bobby shouted at her as he stood up to face the defiant look on her face. "Do you know what you've done?"

It was too late, Bobby knew. He heard the shouts and orders of the other guards as they activated the mutant bands which shocked the majority of their still trapped colleagues to an unconscious submission. He counted in his mind really quickly the number of freed mutants that can contribute to the onslaught of war, a measly twelve, and saw the giant iron gates of the large building near the dam open up as an army of hundreds of camouflaged men stormed out of it heavily armed.

"We have to get out of here," Peter said to him as he gestured to the other mutants to retreat. Pulling Bobby along, he let Lorna lead them out into the open fields towards the gated exit.

"Wait, what about Rogue?" Bobby stopped them and reminded the already metal armored mutant of the reason why they were here to begin with.

"Right, we have to get to her and find Logan," he agreed and both of them turned to Lorna who just stood there looking at them as if waiting for direction.

"You can go if you want but we need to find the rest of our team," Bobby assured her that they will be ok but she just gave them her trademarked disobedient gaze.

"Do you know where she would be?" The green haired girl asked them before stopping fury of metal bullets that came their way. They saw her focus all of her strength at just stopping mere bullets. Both Bobby and Peter knew that she was not as strong as Magneto who had the control and strength to move bridges but regardless of the weakness of her control, they knew they needed her.

"The small building to the north," Bobby replied as he lead them up a hill towards the building that he hoped his friends would be in and safe from the destruction on the fields.

Following behind him, Lorna did all she can to stop the onslaught of firearm headed their way, as Peter did what he can in the front of the line to make a safe route for them by causing a thrashing of pain to the soldiers that stood in the way. She was getting exhausted, the months that she spent in the camp had drained her and this was pushing her to the extreme.

"There's too many of them," she yelled. "We need more help." Bobby turned at her distress and released a flurry of ice towards their way, trying to create a thick wall in order to stop the impending attack.

There was too many of them, he realized, feeling defeated. He had a fleeting thought about just escaping instead of trying to find the Logan and Marie and glanced at the exit to the left of them that was blown open and melted as a collision of forced fire sent the gates flying to the air, hitting the men in front of them.

He looked beyond the blown gates to see John Allerdyce, the Pyro, his best friend leading a troop of at least fifty men onto the fields to help their ailing escape.

*****

"You guys know what you need to do and where you're to go," he reminded his troops one more time before they approached the invisible battle line that existed just five feet before the iron chain linked gate. "Strength in numbers," he said to them trying not to think about how many will be sacrificed in the looming battle, "no one gets left behind, got it?"

The wave of mutant shouts and calls were heard from behind John as he prepared himself mentally for what he was about to put these good obedient people through. They followed him so willingly as if he had the answers to their problems and that was a responsibility that he did not want but right now he needed them. He needed as many of them as he can if he were to find his way back to his distressed damsel.

_Marie_…the memories of her sweet voice kept stinging at his heart and reminded him of why he was doing this to begin with. He had to find her, he needed to be with her and he would set the whole world aflame if it meant having those preciously stolen moments with her.

It was agonizing the way that her voice kept echoing into his mind, pleading with him to save her that fueled his body with drive. Never in his life had he seen Rogue rely on anyone to rescue her. She was never the damsel in distress type but the image that kept playing on his mind was just that and it vexed him and only added more fire to his rage.

_John, please…help me_

_I need you…_

"On my signal," he shouted behind himself as he lifted his hand, having repaired his wrist igniter before he left, and forced the gate open with the pressure from his powers. "Now," he said and waved them in, waiting for every last one of them to rush the fields before he stepped onto the desolate grounds behind them, still hearing Marie's excruciating voice in his psyche.

Watching as the first wave of his battalion feel the sting of being outnumbered, he was amazed that they still held on, knowing that their heart was more into the fight than the uniformed troops attacking them. Looking at the fields he saw the grounds littered with unconscious mutants and a handful of ones running away, towards the open gates. Either they were expecting him or someone had already started the revolution. He was not going to ponder this any longer, he thought, as he looked up to see the dark shadows of the large building where he knew she would be.

_I'm here_

_Waiting for you, please_

Her voice whispered in his mind and forced his body forward, almost as if he was in a trance.

"JOHN," the loud deep voice of Robert Drake broke him out of his stride and he looked farther down the field to see his friends along with an unknown mutant several yards away from him. "John, over here," the distress in his voice was evident as Pyro ran to his battle ridden comrades while combating the blaze of gunfire and artillery.

"What the hell are you doing here Drake?" John shouted over the drowning noise of war.

"I should ask you the same thing but I'm glad you are," Bobby told him as he looked back up to the small building where, according to Tom Hartley, Rogue was held captive.

"Watch out!" The ice man heard Lorna yell as she pushed him on the ground and with one quick motion, lifted her hands to the stop the large broken pieces of debris that was mere inches away from piercing her face.

Looking at the girl's reaction, whose nerves were almost shattered at the near death experience, a light bulb turned on in John's head as he realized the full extent of the girl's ability and how they finally had an upper hand to play against the domineering robots that have yet to make an appearance.

"You," John approached her slowly with wide eyes, "you can control objects, telepathic?"

"No," she said to him as she dropped her arms and collapsed on the ground, trying to gain some strength. "Just metal, only metal," Lorna told him in between large gasps of breath.

Even better, John thought to himself, thinking of the amount of help and leverage he will need the minute he steps inside the building full of sentinels that were meant to keep him from his blissful eternity with Marie.

"How far can your powers reach?"

"Not far, I have to see it to be able to control it and even then, it takes a lot." She was not the powerful mutant that he had hoped she would be but she must have some use, John thought. He looked around and saw the dying and immobile mutants and turned back to the other side to see the masses of guards headed their way, some of them carrying small devices.

"Those remotes," John told her, remembering the source of all the mutant inhibitors, "Get those remotes and destroy as many of them as you can."

Lorna nodded her head in obedience, understanding his thinking, as Bobby helped her up and she focused as much as she can. Her eyes only saw three of them but three should be enough for now. Squinting her eyes sharply, and using her arms to shift her center, the other three boys saw as she willed the metal devices to shattered pieces and then watched as she collapsed back on the ground, a thick cloud of sweat evident on her forehead that soaked her hair.

Bobby, catching the falling girl, looked around and saw a number of immobile and unconscious mutants rise up and after shaking themselves out of unawareness, joined their uprising. "You did it Lorna," he said to the girl in his arms whose rough face forced a small smile at the successful result of her hard concentration.

"Did you doubt me?" She replied arrogantly to him, never letting go of her strong nature and Bobby couldn't help but smile back admiring her vigor.

_John please help me, I'm here_

Marie's voice cried in John's mind but louder and more damaged this time as he proceeded to walk towards the large building, not necessarily caring whether or not the rest followed him.

"John, where are you going?" Peter stopped him quickly before his pace could quicken.

"Rogue, we have to get to Rogue,_ I_ have to get to her," he replied, the sheer look of tranquil determination evident in his eyes. He kept on walking and all the distraction and destruction around him was not going to keep him from her now or ever.

"John, where are you going? That's the wrong building, she's not there," Bobby shouted as he handed the exhausted girl over to Peter to carry her and rushed to John's side, pulling him on the arm, trying in useless regard to get him to break his stride. "John, what is the matter with you, she's not there."

"No, she's there, Bobby, I don't know how I know but she is. I can hear her, she needs me," Pyro told him, not breaking his pace or turning to look at Bobby.

_John_

Her voice in his mind was trembling with tears this time. It hurt him to the very core of his body to even think that his beautiful Marie could be suffering. He had to get to her. He had to see her. He had to protect her.

_Please hurry_

He could not handle it anymore, the idea that she was in such turmoil ripped through him like a dull and rusty serrated knife and he found a sudden burst of energy that fueled him as he went running towards the large building refusing to let anyone get in the way.

"JOHN," Bobby screamed at the hasty mutant whose image just disappeared beyond the horizon of ruin.

He was torn, a part of him wanted to go with John to make sure he does not do anything that would get himself killed but another part of him knew that he needed to find Rogue. John was almost too certain that Rogue was in the building and Bobby wondered what the driving force behind that firmness was. Tom Hartley had told him to stay away from that building at all costs but then again did he really trust Tom Hartley to tell him the truth when he was so willing to sacrifice Kitty?

Many different scenarios were playing in Bobby's mind as he assessed the situation at hand. Hartley very well could have been lying to them and maybe Rogue was in the larger building. He could have been leading them into a trap but than again what if John was the one falling under the trap and Hartley had been right to warn them to stay away from the building adjacent to the dam.

"Bobby, look," the Colossus diverted his attention from his thoughts at pointed to the small building where three very familiar figures emerged from the broken door. While their outlines were just a blur, Bobby and Peter knew exactly who two of them were as one jumped off the back of the other who hovered over her protectively.

Bobby's attention turned back to the large building where his frantic best friend had disappeared into long ago as the three of them trudged towards the shadows of the emergent figures. His mind could not help but think of what disaster John had walked himself into.

*****

So in case you've noticed, I am updating more frequently than I normally do and that's because I'm pretty much done writing it and now I am just editing and proofreading.

Also, Sage, yeah I do tend to update a lot too on average because there's nothing that bothers me more than authors who don't update and leave you on a cliffhanger for months or don't tell you that they just gave up writing. Also, don't be too hard on Magneto, you have to understand from his point of view that John was being reckless and Magneto is a smart man, he knew John wasn't thinking clearly. He was thinking about rescuing Rogue more than he was concerned with the attack strategies.

Previews for Chapter Twenty:  
The X-Men unite, sort of

Again, read and review


	22. Chapter 20: Running

Stolen

Chapter Twenty: Running

*****

"How much long Emma?" Sebastian Shaw asked her as he tapped his fingers loudly on the table in front of the white queen; not knowing that the constant tapping was getting on her nerves and making her loose her concentration.

"Relax, Shaw, he will follow through. There is no doubt in my mind that he will follow through." Closing her eyes again and lightly grazing both her temples with the tips of her fingers, she focused very hard on the task at hand, willing images and voices into the unsuspecting mutant mind she was trying to manipulate.

"Those X-Men are already there aren't they?" He was very worried and it was evident in the light sweat that was percolating on his forehead and the way he would constantly pace in the room. He felt it in his instincts that it had been a mistake to leave the girl unattended in the room. She was a combat experienced X-Man; there was no telling what she was capable of, with or without her powers she was still a force to be reckoned with.

"Of course Sebastian, would you think they would do any less for one of their own?" She more so told him than ask him as she opened her eyes again, staring sharply into the mirror at the other end of the room, the picture of the wandering John Allerdyce as he gallantly marched into the iron gates of the building playing itself behind her eyes.

"It was a mistake for us to leave the area so early into the game," He finally sat down, blocking her view momentarily.

While it was safer for them in the underground secret chamber below the camp, it still was an unsettling feeling for Shaw, knowing that he cannot see for himself what was conspiring above ground. Even if Emma's strong psychic abilities sensed every little nerve and movement that happened above them on the fields, it unnerved him that she had so much power over the situation and he so little. He was the Black King, his very existence demanded power that was not meant to be outshined by some woman.

"If we didn't leave the Wolverine would have ripped you to shreds, not to mention what that shape shifter will do to you."

"How can you be so certain that he will do what you say, Frost? What if they convince him otherwise? What if she gets to him in time?" The Black King spoke with such authority as all the scenarios of the possible outcomes played itself in his head and months and months of planning would have vanished.

Wolverine very well could have gotten to Rogue just in time for her to stop her determined lover before his brash behavior could ignite the final step in their plan. The mutants could be easily subdued by the Friends of Humanity, eliminating the need to summon the troops, but Emma Frost assured him that the X-Men are formidable enough to make sure they don't. The Pyro could easily have been persuaded by Magneto not to wage war but again Frost said that was not an issue.

"I am confident that he will act accordingly," she stated with an air of coolness which was the antithesis to his unraveling nerves.

"How," he questioned her, something he learned in the past that could either be for his benefit or piss her off enough to force her hand.

"Because," she lifted her head slightly as she said this, a sly smile dancing across her face, "he can't hide the tells of his heart from me. He will follow for her, why, he'll burn the entire world for her."

She laughed wickedly as the will of her mind forced more images and distraught voices into the young pyromaniac who was on the verge of being torn apart from the inside out. She can almost feel his trembling heart as he searched for something that she knew would not be there, leading to the final phase of her plan, of their plan, a plan that will ensure supreme power for the Hellfire Club.

"Oh he will follow," she said to herself. "To the depths of hell he will follow."

*****

The torrent of war swept through the fields before their eyes, engulfing it in waves and waves of desolation, mutilation, and massacre. If Pearl Harbor was a day that will live in infamy in the history of the United States than this day, this battle will surely fall in line in the history of the Mutant Rights movement. For Rogue, it was like watching all the things that she had ever fought for, everything that she had believed in get diminished in the sand and fog.

"Logan, what do we do?" She asked her mentor who broke out of his sullen gaze. She could tell he did not know what to do or for that matter what can they do. The only thing that came to his mind was self preservation and that means gathering up all their members and getting out alive. The battle had long lost all organization and strategy between the two foes. It was simply a stalemate and every man was for himself.

"Bobby," Rogue shouted as the three mutants trudged up the hill to meet them. They were battle worn with deep gashes over various parts of their body and the stench of sweat and dirt radiated from them. Colossus was carrying a young woman about her age with deep green hair who looked the most war torn of the three.

"We have to get out of here," he said through inhales of deep breath.

"I tell you not to bring any attention to yourself and this is how you follow directions?" Logan questioned both boys as Peter set Lorna down, who was obviously trying not to look at the angry mutant in the eyes, knowing that she had ignited the spark of revolution.

"Who's the stray?" Logan and Mystique both eyed her.

"Lorna Dane, but we don't have time for introductions, we need to get out of here," Bobby said for her as he turned to direct their attention to the open gates where so many mutants were frantically running to. He turned back to look at Rogue in her weak state and the band on her wrist that he quickly iced over and shattered for her.

Logan, understanding the urgency in Bobby's voice and the hot bed that was combat field, grabbed Rogue by the arms and swung her onto his back with perfect ease.

"Wait," Rogue shouted before the wolverine can gain enough momentum for a quick run. "What about John? I know he's here." With the immunity band no longer suppressing her powers Rogue's psyche felt John calling out to her. He was the one person she touched the most and with every contact she gained another piece of him in her mind, their mental link almost as strong as their emotional link.

"Where is he?" She jumped off of Logan's back and stepped forward to look at Bobby, seeing the hesitation he was displaying in his eyes. "Bobby, where is John?" She stated more firmly, emphasizing every word, letting him know that she will not be satisfied until he tells her what he knows.

"He's in there," he stated and pointed to the large building that sat itself near the dam.

"We have to go get him. We can't leave here without him."

"I agree with Rogue," Mystique defended her with all the affirmation in the world. "We can't leave him, remember, he has a court date." She reminded them of the importance of his presence at the hearing to the Mutant Rights movement.

"Logan, Hartley told us to stay away from that building, remember?" Bobby recapped to them of the warning that they received from the litigation specialist. "There's a reason why he doesn't want us there."

"If he told us that then all the more reason for us to go get him," Rogue shouted back, not hiding any of her emotions. She had to find him; something was telling her that she had to be near him now more than ever.

"Let's go," Logan commanded as they headed towards the blazing fields to try to find their fallen teammate. "Faster we get there the better. Colossus you take Lorna and Rogue come on," he said as he knelt down for her to hop on his back.

Before Rogue can protest, her eyes caught sight of large flares followed by a loud crushing noise that tore at her heart. The building, the large building that Bobby had told her that John was in exploded before their eyes and large billowing flames secreted from every open crevice of the falling structure as shattered metal and wood and more debris went flying in the air.

"JOHN," she heard herself scream as her body convulsed with an unworldly amount of energy that stemmed from her shocked heart.

"Rogue," she heard the various men scream at her as they tried to stop her but she was a force that refused to yield to their submission, "Rogue, don't, it's dangerous."

She went running before anyone could stop her, running as fast as she can, running as fast as she had ever ran before, running feeling numb to the pain in her feet and legs, running for the love of her John Allerdyce.

*****

Short chapter but atlas, the story is coming to and end soon. Sage, good call on your part about John walking into Emma's trap.

Preview for chapter twenty one: John remembers the reasons why he loves Rogue so much

Again, read and review


	23. Chapter 21: The Moment

Stolen

Chapter Twenty One: The Moment

*****

_…I used to be so afraid of this, pretty ugly isn't it…_

_…I think you're beautiful…_

She kept cycling through his mind, tearing at his heart and soul, that he felt consumed with revenge. He wanted revenge for the countless kidnapped mutants that had to endure months and months of agonizing labor, revenge for his fallen comrades, and above all revenge for the hostage and torture of his beloved Rogue.

The room that he walked through was unusually dark, pitch black almost as if hiding a secret and the only thing that aided his eyesight was the small glow from the flame that danced in his palm. It was dangerous having an open flame in an area he was not too familiar with, for all he knew there could have been flammable objects or aerosol tanks near by. But he threw all caution into the wind when he stepped into the building with an ounce of hope that he would see Rogue's relieved face and warm body again.

_… I always feel like I have to keep running…_

_…No matter where you go, I'm always going to find you…_

_Stop_, he said to himself, the agonizing memory that swam through his head making it difficult for him to focus. Letting the fire in his palm die, he brought both of his hands to his face and clutched at his hair as if the gesture will make the visions and whispers cease. It was a bittersweet pain, the way the memories played itself in his mind. It made him hungry for more of its sweet reminiscent reverie but at the same time tore at his heart knowing that he was failing her. He had promised her that he will always protect her that he will always be there for her during her hour of need, she needed him now and he was not there.

"Something wrong with the little fire bug?" A cruel and rugged voice that was laced with hate echoed through the room from the high ceilings. John looked up at the general direction of the voice and saw Graydon Creed on the highest platform in front of him. It seems he had walked through the very end of the corridor and there was nothing left standing between him and some answers except to scale a case of stairs to get to where the man was.

"Where is she?" the Pyro said harshly as he gave the older man an equally vicious look.

He just laughed at him which only made John's blood boil over with more anger. "Stupid boy, this was never about her, this was about you."

"You didn't answer my question," he said through gritted teeth as he took steps towards the stairs, small cautious steps to ensure that his eye of sight stays on Creed. "Where is she?"

"Do you have any idea how many men you've cost me? Do you think I would give you the satisfaction of answers?"

"WHERE," John yelled as his small steps turned into a quick pace as he took bigger breathes to help calm his destroyed nerves. "I'm going to kill you myself I swear to god."

Creed did not move from where he stood. It was clear he was not afraid of John and that angered him even more. He had no idea what the pyromaniac was capable of, how much he wanted to watch Creed burn for the wrong he had committed against him.

"Kill me and then what?" Graydon Creed taunted him as he stood face to face with the fuming young mutant, whose very existence disgusted him. "Think you can find your little girlfriend before it's too late?"

"If I don't find her I'll find you and make you pay," John was letting his anger get the best of him, he knew he was not thinking clearly.

"Well, it's too late," Creed said and pulled a lever that was hidden somewhere and John watched as a secret door opened that Creed quickly vanished behind, taking with him any direction that he would have towards finding Rogue. The minute the door shut behind Creed John rushed to it and banged on the camouflage exit, attempting to find the trigger.

He had failed her, he thought, as he kept banging on the door, thinking that if he hit it hard enough it would magically open.

"CREED," he yelled harshly into the empty room. Empty, John realized as he stood from the highest platform and turned around to look at the vacant room. The sentinels that use to line the walls of the giant building were gone and it left an unsettling feeling in his stomach.

Walking down the stairs, his eyes investigated the area more closely as his right hand nursed a small flame. It really was empty, there was nothing here. _Where is she, _he wondered and was met by the small beeping that came from nearby.

Cautiously moving, he followed the beep into another corridor beyond the stairs where a large exposed box was left on the floor. Kneeling down to it he saw that a bomb had been activated, the numbers counting down almost in sync with his heightened heart rate. His mind raced, thinking back to all his training at both the Xavier Institution and at the Brotherhood.

Quickly putting out the flame and removing his wrist igniter to use as a make-shift box cutter he reached into the bomb where all the tangled wires were left exposed. He cut into the familiar color coded wires and hurriedly ran out.

If Rogue was in here he had to find her, his heart thumped even louder as he looked for any traces of her. His heart thumped again and again and then beeped, he had heard a beep. The bomb had a fail safe he realized that he had overlooked and his feet moved with the power of adrenaline towards the door. He had mere seconds before he felt the force of the explosion behind him push him forward and felt all gutted materials in the room penetrate his skin and the heat from the explosion singe at his back and onto the rest of his body.

Finally making his way out the door through the fire and smoke, he felt a pain on his side as he saw an ever too familiar figure approach him. Collapsing on his knees, he checked his side to see shrapnel that buried itself deep under his skin, just below his heart as his eyes looked up to see the dancing figure of Marie approaching him and smiled, knowing that she was safe, knowing that he had not failed her, knowing that her radiant beauty will cast itself over him again.

He felt weak, there was no more fight left in him. He knew his body had taken all it can and even beyond that as the pain of the fragments from the bomb numb itself against his memories of Rogue. He smiled at the distance figure of Rogue as she came to him, always knowing that somehow they would find each other.

As he felt his body slowly fail him, memories spent with Rogue played itself in his mind by his own accord, memories that were important to him, memories that he wanted to experience over and over again until the end of his days. The last picture show of her that danced in his vision was the moment that he knew that he will always be remembered, the moment that he knew that someone in this awful world cared about him, the very point in his life when he had found its sweet purpose, the moment that he knew he had fallen hopelessly and recklessly in love with Marie D'Ancanto.

_"John," she whispered to him from her side of the bed as her fingers grazed the skin on his bare shoulder. Even though it was a blissfully hot summer night, they were buried underneath the blankets in his room, having spent hours before lost in the sweet ecstasy of adolescent love._

_"Yeah," he replied back as he rolled over to face her, taking in the breathtaking sight of her rose colored cheeks that were still hot from the physical intimacy before. The heat of their naked bodies touching radiated underneath the blanket. _

_"How come you don't tell me anything and why can't I see anything?" _

_"What do you mean?" His hand stroked her face as he spoke. She looked so vulnerable and so fragile now that he was almost afraid to even touch her, frightened that she'd break under his rough battle torn hands. _

_"Every time we touch, I get small visions or pictures of you in my head but I can't really see you. I can't see your past." _

_"Maybe it's because it's something that you shouldn't see," he whispered. She rested her head on the pillow and they were face to face with each other, their nose just inches from grazing one another. _

_"But I want to know, what happened to you? You're Australian it's something so new to me." _

_"I don't claim it; I wasn't there long enough to really be called one."_

_"What happened to your mom?" She was digging into his soul, something that he did not feel comfortable with. He hated people knowing his history and the insincere sympathy they gave him once they found out. But looking at Marie now, seeing her eyes almost staring into his being he felt his defenses wither away. _

_"She died when I was real young. We did smuggle into this country so we didn't have any money and she was really sick," he notice her nod for him to continue his life story, almost as if he was reciting to her passages from some great American novel. "After that I was taken into an orphanage and moved from one bad foster home to another." He lifted his arm up high over her head and exposed the valley of his skin that ran from the underside of his arm all the way down to his ribcage. "That's how I got this." _

_"From a foster home," Rogue questioned. There was a deep long scar there that Rogue had never noticed before. He had so many from all the battles fought that they just seemed to create a canvass on his skin. _

_"Yeah, kind of ironic, one of the fathers use to come home drunk every night and had a little too much fun with his cigarettes," he noticed her quietly crying now, as if she was the one that had to live through it. "Hey, it's ok, I'm still alive, and I'm still here." He pulled her to him and gave her a kiss on the cheek as his lips tasted the salt from her tears. _

_"No, it's not that," she turned away from him, her eyes staring at the covers as her fingers entwined itself with his. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, I really am. No one should have to endure anything like that from figures that are supposed to love them." _

_"He was just a foster dad, no love lost there. It's not like he was a real father or anything like yours." _

_"Don't mention my dad, he was not much of a real father either," she stated, her face going blank and he can almost feel the sting of sorrow in her eyes. He let his eyes wandered away from her face for a moment, giving her an instance of thoughtful privacy as they traveled to her lean arms and down her perfect stomach that he noticed was not as perfect as he remembered them to be. How could he not have noticed it before, he asked himself, letting his fingers graze the deep discolored scar on her pelvic that ran from just above her belly button all the way to her hip bone. _

_"Did he do this?" He asked her, letting her hand move his away from her body in defense. _

_"He wasn't always like this," it was her turn to be the one to open up now. "It wasn't until after my mutation developed and he lost his job because of it and the whole town seemed to hate us. That's when he started to change; he just got angrier and blamed me for everything, as if I was some heavy burden on anyone that I came close to." _

_"Does Logan know about him?" _

_"No, no one did. I was afraid to tell anyone, I hated the pity I got from everyone as it is because of my powers, I didn't need anymore from them." _

_"Hey, I understand false pity," he said and traced the scar on her stomach, feeling her muscles tighten with every touch. _

_"I was afraid for people to touch me before and not because of my mutation. I didn't want them to see this. I use to be so afraid of this," she let her hands cover his that rested on her stomach, hiding the one imperfection on her otherwise flawless body. "Pretty ugly isn't it?" _

_"No," he said as he tilted her head towards him, "I think you're beautiful." Her eyes were stained from her trail of tears and her hair was a tangle of a mess but her exposing herself like that to him, her letting him in, giving him a glimpse into her soul and just like her soul, she was beautiful. _

_She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his neck. "That's why I ran. I always feel like I have to keep running because if I don't then the people who I love, who I thought loved me back would change and I would be such a burden to them." _

_"Rogue," he pulled her away so that he can look into her eyes and let her know that he meant every word he uttered, "no matter where you go I'm always going to find you." _

_"Don't ever leave me John," she whispered and covered her mouth with his and he found himself buried in the sweet scent of her open heart and bare skin and knew that this was the girl he was meant to be with. This was the girl that was his match in every way and that he, John Allerdyce, had finally found his home. _

_*****_

**Thank you Sage for acknowledging that I do update often. I'm a fiction reader myself and hate having to wait a week, a month, sometimes even half a year for an update so I can understand. Thats why I make it a point not to post anything unless I have at least two chapters already written after that and ready for editing. **

**Previews for Chapter Twenty Two: **  
**The aftermath of the battle and how everyone copes with it**  
**-Bobby**  
**-Logan**  
**-Storm**


	24. Chapter 22: Aftermath

Stolen

Chapter Twenty Two: Aftermath

*****

She had failed them, Ororo Munroe thought to herself as she turned away from the window. Her heart could no longer take looking at the young mutants who were in her care, who had no idea how cruel everything had become beyond the protective gates of the school. It had not been long since her teammates had arrived back at the institution and Logan briefed her on everything before they announced it on every news channel in the area. She remembered not believing a word he said until she turned the television on and saw for herself images of the destruction they had to endure.

_This just in folks another attack by a mutant terrorist group that mirrored the one in Alcatraz just occurred here tonight. The attack led by reformed terrorist and former member of the Brotherhood, John Allerdyce, was said to have occurred between the hours of two am and three am. Allerdyce who was awaiting trial had, as a final act of retaliation, blown up the main facility of the Friends of Humanity before the situation was resolved by the Sentinel program. The real story tonight is not John Allerdyce but of the political group the Friends of Humanity who were discovered to be the ones behind the kidnapping and enslavement of hundreds of mutants that went missing in the months before. _

When she had heard about the torture camp that the Friends of Humanity had constructed she was angry at herself. She should have known and investigated when the first wave of mutants went missing. It was something Xavier would have done something that she had failed to do in his footsteps. He was always one careful step ahead, just as Scott Summers and Jean Grey would have been. Feeling inadequate, Storm turned her attention away from the students and her eyes scanned the newspaper which mirrored the events on television. There was no escaping the constant reminder of having been fallen, having been mislead and played into someone's cruel agenda.

What really got to her were the public opinions of the event, of course she should have expected that, after all, when mutants are concerned the opinions of the general public are always going to be misconstrued.

_Those mutants deserve it, what else are they good for_

_I can't believe the Friends of Humanity would do something like that_

_It's like Alcatraz all over again_

_If someone like John Allerdyce is capable of this than what are the rest of them capable of_

_He was doing so well, what happened_

_Good thing those sentinels showed up_

_I'm glad the sentinels were there_

_It's a good program, we need the sentinels_

She should have seen this coming; Storm thought to herself, she should have known that they were all pawns in an elaborate plan for power. Xavier would have seen the big picture, so would Jean Gray, even Scott Summers intuitive nature would have led them down the right path. Her colleague, Hank McCoy, had told her to trust the people; his unwavering faith in the system never left him even after the incident at the camp. He always believed that the American will do the right things.

Turning on the television and watching Sebastian Shaw take the podium, Ororo knew that his faith had been tested and proven wrong. Everything they had believed in, everything that they had fought for were now all just diminished expectations and the death of freedom as they knew it was met with a thunderous applauds as Sebastian Shaw accepted his role as Chief Executor of the Sentinels and made his speech to the unsuspecting audience.

_Amid the tragedy involving the Friends of Humanity ushers in a new era. An era that is devoid of all fear because under my protection the American people will see justice brought upon anyone, mutant and humans alike, willing to commit another act of terrorism or anything that mirrors the incident at Alcatraz and at the camp. Only in America, can its people rise up and make the difficult choices after such a catastrophic event that will lead into the new dawn. _

*****

He knew he had to do this, he told himself as he sat in the car, trying to summon enough courage to open the door and walk out. While the drive to this suburb just outside of Boston had been a long one from Westchester, Robert Drake found that the hours just flew by.

The events at the camp and the confrontation they had with the Friends of Humanity and the Hellfire Club had a rippling effect on everyone at the school and for that matter every mutant in the country. Those that were most effected by it were the ones that were actually there and had to witness the demise of mutant freedom and anonymity. It was a rather hot day today and under normal circumstances Bobby would have just created a frosty mist around him but he, like so many others like him, was fearful of displaying his powers in public now.

Taking a deep breath, he unlocked the car door and stepped out, making sure he had everything he needed, keys, courage, and wallet; his wallet that carried the mark of a mutant in it, the giant M that was stamped across his license, the very reason why he would always get searched when he got pulled over and the reason why many public establishments would refuse to serve him.

Letting the sting of no longer being just another face in the crowd wash over him, he proceeded to the small house that had warmth radiating from its simple design. He wondered if the comforting glow would remain once he revealed to the residents the events that happened at the camp. Letting his friendship and respect for John Allerdyce give him the courage to knock on the door, he waited until he saw the smiling face of Lila Cheney greet him.

"Bobby, how are you?" She said as her petite frame tiptoed to give him a hug. "It's so good to see you again." She opened the door wide, allowing him to step inside. He saw through the small window in the kitchen that was adorned with fresh flowers on the mantel that her son was in the backyard playing on the homemade jungle gym, no doubt made by John, he thought as he noticed that the name Cheney was burnt into one of the posts of the small fort.

"So how is John?" Lila asked as she placed the tray with two cups of black coffee and a plate of homemade cookies on the coffee table in front of him. He waited for her to sit down before he sat down himself and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Lila, there's something I have to tell you."

*****

"Rogue," Logan knocked softly on her door and listened for sounds of life in her room. It had been three days since the incident with the Friends of Humanity and while Marie rolled with the punches as expected he knew that she was not ok. She appreciated people's sympathy but never looked them in the eyes when they talked to her. She took her meals to her bedroom to appease the concerned adults but they were returned not having been touched. She retired to her room at night but every morning he'd find her asleep at the train station.

"Rogue, are you ok?" He asked as he opened the door. There was a stillness in the air and the evidence of her sorrow was still apparent in the room as the stench of tear filled Kleenexes and burned photographs lingered in the air.

The room was clean, unusually clean, as though no one had ever stayed in it before. The sheets on the bed were perfectly placed with no creases and the desk was clear of all personal items such as her picture frames and jewelry box. The wind picked up a little bit through her broken window. He approached it and noticed the ends were pried off and the bolts looked like they had been mercilessly ripped from the siding with some kind of tool. Looking around one last time he saw a note, folded perfectly, resting on her pillow. His name was inscribed on it and with knowing eyes he opened it, taking her words for everything that they meant.

Reading the thoughts Marie had for her surrogate father, Logan lowered the note and let it fall back onto the bed, finally coming to terms with her decision. Although he knew where she was going to be he did not feel the need to frantically chase after her this time.

He knew she was going to be at the train station where she would constantly go to think, where he would go find her staring aimless at the tracks, where they would share many talks, and she would come home with him so willingly.

It had been no different than the other times she left…quietly…swiftly and always with a small bag packed just incase. Only this time, Logan knew she was not struggling with her choices, this time he knew that she would feel certain of her decision. He knew that if he went to the train station she would be gone.

Looking out the window he gave an understanding and approving nod of a father that was finally seeing and letting his prodigal daughter grow up.

"Good luck out there Rogue."

_Dear Logan,_

_If you are reading this then I finally made the decision to go through with it and while it might not be the best or most logical thing to do it's what I want. I thought I owed you at least this since you were always trying to protect me. The truth is I can't do this anymore. In the short time that I was here at the school I was taught the belief that Professor Xavier had preached. His philosophy of peace between all species, I was not only taught that belief but I carried it with me every time we were put in a position to defend his teachings. Well, we have fought and for what? It's not getting any better for us out there. _

_I can't keep holding onto this invisible idea anymore, not after what happened. I had questioned my faith in this cause awhile ago but I lost complete assurance in it the day at the camp and now I don't know what to do anymore. I'm exhausted and so lost. _

_I can't keep fighting this endless war when I don't even know what it is that we're fighting for so I'm gonna try something new, something different. I have to be with him, I need to be with him and I hope you can understand that. Please don't try to find me because I know you can, you always do. _

_Sincerely,_

_Marie_

*****

**I know the last chapter was confusing as to what happened to John and Rogue but I hope this chapter cleared it up somewhat, if it doesn't then the next one will. Looks like there's only two more chapters after this one. Again, like I said before John and Rogue will find some happiness and the outcome I gave them you will either hate or love. **

**Previews for Chapter 23: **

**-A visit to a train station and all of the things that shaped Rogue to where she is now**


	25. Chapter 23: Waiting

Stolen

Chapter Twenty Three: Waiting

*****

_"JOHN," she screamed as she watched his body collapsed on the ground, the area around him glowing with the blazing fire of the building. Kneeling beside him, Rogue pulled his bloody body to her, letting his head rest in her lap as she placed her hand on his face, watching him take deep excruciating breaths, refusing to believe that her strong John Allerdyce could ever fall. _

_"John," Rogue cried at the sight of him, feeling her clothes soak with the blood from his battered body. "You're going to be ok, I'm here." _

_"Marie?" His eyes turned to her tear stained face as he lifted his dirt caked hand up to graze her cheek, almost trying to prove to himself that she was really there. _

_"It's me, I'm here. You're going to be ok, Logan's here, so is Mystique. We'll get you home. Dr. McCoy can help you, he did before." She rambled on; trying desperately to believe that he can be saved despite his shrapnel embedded skin and the rapid decline in his body temperature due to the excessive blood loss. _

_"Marie, you know I-I- that is," he tried to say through the pain and her heart broke at hearing his trembling voice. Even after everything he had gone through, after all the torment and destruction he put his body through he was still trying to utter to her the very words that he felt in his being. _

_"I know, John, I know," she whispered, watching his hand slowly fidget with the pocket of his jeans, and saw him pull out his lighter, the same lighter that he had carried with him throughout all the years that she had known him, the one that he gave to her for protection. It was the very symbol of who he is, a fiery person whose burning passion can only be surpassed by his love for her. _

_"Don't say anything, you don't have to say anything." _

_Wrapping her hand around his that clutched at the small device, she brought it to her face and felt him in every way she can feel a person. In her mind she could hear all the quiet whispers that John had for her, all the little tells that his heart song sang for her. They were linked, there was no doubt about that, and that was a bond that transcended mere spoken words and into subconscious thoughts. _

_"Marie, I love you more than anything, loving you has made everything worth it. Being with you was the only peace I had ever known."_

_"John," she sobbed vocally, her psyche still hearing his words of devotion, "don't leave me, please, don't leave me." _

_"I'm never going to leave you, I'm not going anywhere, just remember me…remember me," his words echoed in her mind as she felt the weight in his head shift as the last amount of energy that supported it escaped his body. She saw his eyes turn and the life behind it disappeared. She felt his body go limp in her arms as his hand that held the lighter collapsed onto her side. _

_"JOHN," she screamed as she pulled his cold and broken body to her and held him close to her, burying her face at the crook of his neck, her hair and face and body soaking with his blood. _

_"You promised me. You had me. Don't do this to me, please don't." She buried herself in him, not caring or noticing the ongoing torrent of flames around her, her body numb to the fire as it grazed her skin. _

_"Rogue," Logan's voice echoed above her as he grabbed her arm, trying to pull her away from the body of her dying lover. "Rogue, we have to go, the Sentinels are here." _

_"No..." she screamed above his bold voice, "I'm not going anywhere. We can't leave him here, I can't leave him." _

_"Rogue, he's gone, we need to get out of here it's not safe." _

_"HE'S – NOT – GONE!" Her grip around his limp neck tightened itself as she said this, refusing to believe that she had lost everything, refusing to believe that she had lost him. _

_Logan's constant tugging at her arms finally made progress and she felt the strength of his hands rip John away from her as excessive amounts of flames and laser beams torched the earth around them. _

_The fire burned and hurt but holding his cold body and looking at his lifeless eyes hurt even more than the threshold of pain her body was going through, the only thing she could feel was the sting of being completely and absolutely alone._

_"We can't leave him, Logan; we have to go back he's waiting for me we have to go back…"_

_*****_

So this is what it feels like, this numbness that felt so anesthetized that it was almost painful. The wind picked up a little and she wrapped her jacket a little tighter around herself without really wondering why because the painful memory had become so deadening that the cold had lost its effect on her.

Her hands were itching from the dryness. They had been so use to the protection of her long gloves that they had forgotten what exposure to climate changes can do to them. Digging into her oversized bag she pulled out the all too familiar pair of dark gloves and slowly glided it over her arms.

She remembered the first time she was here, the feeling of abandonment when she first ran away from the Institution after Bobby reprimanded her for using her powers on Logan. Of course she did not know that it was Mystique disguised as Bobby who said those harsh words to her as a means to coax her into leaving the protection of the X-Men.

She remembers sitting at this very train station and Logan coming in to try to convince her that there was a home for her and that she was safe. She remembered every instance after that when she would run away to this quiet sanctuary to think and he just like the worried father would come and they would share the long proverbial walk back home but this time would be different. This time she knew that out of respect for her he would come and she would not go back because she did not know what she was going back to.

Feeling like she had lost her way with no compass, she was looking for a place to once again belong, to know that she will never have to bend and break herself for anyone. Human, hardly, even the so called cured mutants face rejection because the awful mask of once being a mutant will always stay with them thanks to the passing of the mutant registration act. Mutant, once being a mutant without a gift is like being a boat with no paddles or sail, she finally understood what he meant, and it was like having to constantly drift in the winds just trying to find a way home.

_Home_, she thought to herself, she had found it awhile back, the feeling of comfort and a familiarity that was so real it almost feels like a dream, a dream that she wished she could relieve over and over again.

_…I just miss the feeling of home. You know, the one place where you can go and feel safe, feel like no matter what happens there's someone that loves you there…_

_…Rogue, you're home right now…_

Now coming full circle here she is again weighting her options and choices that were going to take her absolutely nowhere.

Nowhere

Nothingness

Nonexistence

Do any of these places even exist for her?

Lately for Marie the feeling of disappointment and anguish was a constant in her life that made it almost unbearable to breathe. The more she thought about it the more she realized that what she was really looking for was a place where all the memories of turmoil would wash away from her; somewhere she can stop feeling and just exist.

She hated it, the constant reminder of everything and everyone she had lost. Being at the institution, with the X-Men, she realized is just being faced with the ever elusive beast called death and so she ran with no real direction. The only constant in her life, it seems, is that she is always going to be running.

_…No matter where you go I'm always going to find you…_

It is a strange feeling really, knowing that you are truly alone and alone acted as such a constant reminder of how far acceptance is from the truth and the ugly truth was that things will never be the same; they will never just work out and the casualties are the broken promises along the way.

_…Things will work out…_

_…I love you, John…_

_…I'll be back, I promise…_

She dug into her pocket and her fingers felt the familiar cold metal of the lighter that she always carried with her, feeling the tears wanting to escape her eyes as she stifled back the quiet sobs. Letting her mind drift off she thought about all the disillusionment and agony in her life that has lead her to this state of complete despair. The things she has lost and streamed away from played itself in her mind that left her so exposed that she felt like a hallowed out piece of fruit that was left to rot and devour itself.

Her first kiss

_He just touched me, I didn't mean to I'm sorry. Don't touch me!_

Her disownment from home

_You are not my daughter; I did not father a mutant_

And deaths, so many deaths of people she knew, people who were so willing to love and accept her for who she was, people that she let plant themselves in her very soul.

Professor Xavier

Scott Summers

Jean Grey

Carmen Pryde

Katherine Pryde

And John Allerdyce

Reminding herself of the things John had told her, the many lessons that she had learned through loving him she felt her heart tremble at the memory that played itself in her mind, the first moment when she knew that she can finally stop running because she had found where she needed to be, where she wanted to be.

…_I'm here now and I need you to tell me that I have a chance, even if it's one in a million because I'll keep waiting if I do but if not then just one word Marie, just one word is all it takes for me to stop…_

_…What would you like me to say…_

_…I just want to know what I have…_

"John," she whispered to the air in the isolated train station, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he can hear her the same way that she will always hear him echo in her psyche.

"I'm sorry. It's too hard without you but I know…" No longer able to be strong and hide what her heart told her, she felt her face grow wet with tears as she glanced down at the lighter that found its way subconsciously out of her jacket pocket and into her gloved hands.

"…somehow, we can still be together because you had me," she spoke through her unbearable sobs and trembling voice. "You will always have me, John." 

Tracing the outline of lighter, she saw every little small moment and every quiet glances, unspoken words, and careless caresses that she and John ever shared reflect off the metal of the lighter, like a silent black and white film, reminding her of everything she can never have, everything that was stolen from her, all the familiarity that her heart and body will miss.

_…Marie, I love you more than anything, loving you has made everything worth it…_

Sweet John, who always constantly held his unwavering belief and responsibilities with such passion that it consumed him. Passion, she thought about the word; that was the fire in his heart, which was the driving force behind all his decisions; it was the reason why she loved him so. Is that what everyone in this forsaken world is really looking for, passion, a reason to live? Is that what she is looking for?

_…Fight for what you believe in Marie. Remember makes life worth living…_

Inhaling deeply she quietly acknowledged exactly what she was trying to find, what made her come to this train station and wait….

Nothingness

Emptiness

Unconsciousness

She was looking for oblivion

Seeing the train pull up she held her bag closer to her and tucked the lighter away in her pocket and with careful consideration she let oblivion make her final decision, the silent whispers in her mind that was reminiscent of John's voice played its song on her skin as she felt the door close behind her.

_…I'm not going anywhere, just remember me…remember me…_

*****

Oddly enough, this was actually the first chapter I wrote before anything else and I just added to it as the story progressed. It was the hardest chapter I had to write and without a doubt the one I edited the most. There's still one more chapter after this, remember the happiness I told you about, it's coming up.

Preview for Chapter 24: Rogue and John reunite for the first time


	26. Chapter 24: Second First Encounters

Stolen

Chapter 24: Second First Encounters

_"TABLE TWO HAS BEEN WAITING LONG ENOUGH!" The angry sounds of her boss shouted at her as she carried the tray full of cheap beer across the smoke filled room to the awaiting table. Hearing the cat calls of drunken men as they admired her physical assets, Marie felt exhausted. It had been a long day and happy hour, although only lasted from four to six, seemed to drag on as more eager men piled into the bar taking advantage of the half priced beer. _

_"Here you go boys," she said as she set each glass carefully in front of her patrons, making sure not to spill a drop on her long black gloves. That was the last thing she needed, she thought to herself, was having to find another job and relocate due to her mutation. Turning around, she felt a customer at the table inappropriately graze her lower back; of course she ignored it and proceeded to walk back to the bar. According to her boss any inappropriate contact between the servers and customers were only accidental so there was no need to try to act offended. _

_Setting the tray down at the bar for the bartender to pile another round on, her eyes saw a bright flash at the corner and turning slowly she caught sight of a young man who was watching a dying ember that had burnt a nearby tree. _

_While everyone was running away from the engulfing flames he stayed and was unfazed by it. Looking closer at him she saw that he was concentrating very hard on the fire, almost as if willing it to death before it can spread to the neighboring buildings and cause more damage. He had a dark long sleeved collared shirt on that was unbuttoned with a wrinkled t-shirt underneath. His ripped and aged jeans and messy hair told her that he must have been as nomadic as she was as she watched him open and close a Zippo lighter on his right hand nervously, still very focused on the dying flames of the tree. _

_Her inquisitive mind got the better of her and she found herself moving closer to the large window to get a better view, completely ignoring the agitated voice of her boss along with some complaining customers. Once the flames completely died on the trees he turned his head slightly and accidentally met her gaze, both of them feeling a sense of familiarity washing over them. _

_She felt herself drawn to him, almost as if he had her under some kind of spell and before she knew it she was quickly throwing her apron down and ripping her dirty greased stained gloves off and rushed to the door, not knowing that he was watching her intently as she came to a sudden stop in front of him. They looked at each other, both getting a sense of comfort from the presence of the other but still apprehensive around whom they still believed was a stranger to them. They had never seen each other before, did not even know what the other person's voice might sound like, but for some reason they were compelled to be near each other. Breaking the awkward silence he spoke with a sound that mesmerized and made her feel secure as the huskiness of his word lingered in her ears. _

_"John," he introduced himself, his mind racing, not sure why he felt the yearning to be so open with the mysterious girl in front of him, a girl who had seen him use his powers and had the ability to expose him for who he was and make him start his life over yet again. _

_"Marie," she smiled back, a smile that made him weak in the knees. His eyes noticed the creaminess of her skin that begged to be touched as he reached out to shake her hand. She backed away abruptly and it was in that instance that they knew the stranger before them had a similar secret they both shared. They did not know how they knew but their mind just danced on the subject...Mutant. She looked to the open booth that was in the bar where she worked and silently both of them entered the smoke filled establishment and took a seat at the table and without warning, without hesitation, told each other the secret that kept both of them so guarded and so alone. _

_"I can manipulate fire." _

_"When people touch my skin something happens to them, they just get hurt." _

_After hearing what she had to say he felt bold and held his hand out, placing it open palm on the table waiting anxiously for her to place her hand inside of his. _

_"I don't want to hurt you." _

_"Just trust me." _

_She looked at him and felt that meeting him was suppose to happen, that all the events in her god forsaken life has led her to this moment and very carefully she placed her hand into his and he just smiled and looked back up at her, completely unharmed and completely infatuated. _

_She smiled back at him completely unharmed and completely infatuated. _

Wanda Maximoff lifted her eyes from her desk for a minute; her mind had been a torrent of distress and worry. With the recent government regulations she had to cover her tracks and make herself disappear. She was thankful that Tom Hartley had disposed of all of her files and documents concerning GWM Incorporated, thus making her seem like just an illusion. Not wanting to think about what would happen if the Hellfire Club or the Friends of Humanity ever found the location of Genosha, the Scarlett Witch decided to check on her many wards to ensure that they were safe.

Walking slowly down the open area between tubes and tubes of suspended mutants, she checked on the expressions on their faces and the pulsing of the computer that measured their heart rates, making sure they were still in their blissful trance.

She stopped momentarily at her newest charge, whose young face suddenly formed a smile at the corner of her lips and her fingers clutched tighter at the Zippo lighter in her hand that she refused to part with as her long dark hair moved freely in the water. Wanda touched the protective casing of the young girl and smiled a little bit, noticing that the hard lines and aging creases that was evident in her face and eyes when she first showed up was slowly and surely fading, giving Wanda hope that her new ward had finally stopped running and was gaining a small sense of peace.

**I know it's been awhile since I last posted but I'm not dead, I've just been formulated a sequel and working on the preview. The more I thought about it the more I hated the way I ended things with John Rogue so here's a preview of the sequel to Stolen:**

_Of Thieves and Martyrs: Sequel to Stolen_

_"You need to let it go chere"_

_Rogue stared at the red eyed cajun and thought about her delusions and myths that she had for the past several months, chasing a dream that was just out of reach, chasing a man that she herself felt dying in her arms. _

_"Here," she said and handed him the lighter guiding him to get rid of it the only way the mutant knew how and slowly she watched as a glow of pink and yellow energy surround the lighter. The energy that pulsed through the lighter mirrored the vibrations of her settling heart. _

_"Emma, what you're asking me to do is highly dangerous. I don't know if its even possible." _

_"Just do it Wanda, we have no other choice." _

_"We're talking about these children's memories, essentially who they are." _

_"Everything ok John?" Jean Luc Lebeau asked the sweat drenched boy who had just awoken from a frantic nightmare. _

_"Yea, everything's fine," the pyromaniac turned thief said as he ran his hands through his hair, the vision of the lost girl from his nightmare slowly seeping into his mind. _

_I want to know what I have...... You have me...... _

**Here's the preview for it on youtube. Please comment because I am trying to decide whether or not I should pursue this project. **

h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m /watch?v=OAM-dgk2Hvk

_h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m /user/LeahAKnight_


	27. Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter One

Of Thieves and Martyrs: Sequel to Stolen

Previously.........

**_"When people touch my skin something happens to them, they just get hurt." _**

**_After hearing what she had to say he felt bold and held his hand out, placing it open palm on the table waiting anxiously for her to place her hand inside of his. _**

**_"I don't want to hurt you." _**

**_"Just trust me." _**

**_She looked at him and felt that meeting him was suppose to happen, that all the events in her god forsaken life has led her to this moment and very carefully she placed her hand into his and he just smiled and looked back up at her, completely unharmed and completely infatuated. _**

**_She smiled back at him completely unharmed and completely infatuated. _**

**_XXXXX_**

_Chapter One: Trust_

_…Just trust me…_

_His words kept echoing in her mind as the song of his touch still vibrated on her skin. He touched her; she was capable of being touched. It had been hours since she left work, longer than that since she last saw him and as Marie stared at the wall in her small kitchen with the hot chocolate that she nursed on the table in front of her she knew that she was meant to find John. She didn't even know his last name but still she felt as if he was made just for her. She didn't know anything about him except that he was a mutant and somehow she found herself drawn to him. _

This is silly, Marie, you just met him_, she told herself while putting the cup in the sink and stepping into the bedroom of her apartment. Looking at her reflection in the full length mirror while changing into her nightgown she thought about how average her mutant life had been. She was nothing special like all the other mutant right activists that she sees on television, activists like Ororo Munroe or Katherine Pryde, she was just a small petite waitress who was just trying to make it through the world day by day. _

_Pulling the blanket aside on her bed, getting ready to slip between the crisp sheets and wait for the morning, she heard a knock on her door. It was far too late for company, she thought as she hurried to the front door. Opening it, expecting maybe a thief that just happened to knock or someone who just lost their was, instead she was met with a set of very familiar green eyes. _

_"John," she greeted him with a questionable connotation with his name while opening the door a little wider. _

_"I'm sorry, I just had to see you again," he told her with a look of disbelief. He stood in the doorway, waiting for her to let him in and he wasn't sure if her opening the door wider meant that it was ok to step into the privacy of her apartment. _

_"How did you know where I live?" She asked him as a mere step in formality, not really caring how he knew but more so caring about the fact that he was there, almost as if by some miracle she had willed him to appear. _

_"I don't know, something just told me I'd find you here." _

_She stepped away from the door and proceeded to the kitchen, filling a coffee maker with water before pressing the on button. Noticing that the young man was still standing out in the hall at her door, she waved him in and gestured for him to have a seat at her small round kitchen table. She observed the way he walked with uneasiness at being in a new environment and the tense way his shoulders squared while taking a seat, she realized he was not use to being in such close proximity to a person before and especially in a place as private as their home. _He must really be use to being alone_, she thought to herself before taking out two small cups from her cabinet. _

_"How long has it been?" She asked him while placing the steaming hot beverage in front of him and another for her before taking a seat across from him. His head was turned down, refusing to look at her. _

_"How long has what been?" He asked his eyes still focused everywhere else except on her. _

_"Since you've known," she questioned her statement after hearing it out loud from her mouth. Her intention was to ask him how long ago it was since his mutation developed but from their situation, how they met, the way she felt about him, it could easily be interpreted as a question of how long it has been since he knew that they were suppose to meet each other as if by destiny. She hoped she had not scared him away by the underlying forcefulness of her question. _

_"Since I was twelve," he answered and looked at his hands, staring at them in wonderment as to how his weak and dry hands could control such power. "I can only manipulate it, I can't create it." _

_Marie was a little relieved to hear that he did not assume her question meant anything other than her curiosity about his mutation and not concerning her sudden attachment to him. She did, however, notice a hint of resentment that laced his words when he told her about the limitations of his powers. _

_"How about you," he asked her, turning to face her but still avoiding eye contact with her. His face was in the general direction of hers but his focus was on the wall behind her, or the floor of the kitchen, even the curve of her lips, as long as it was not directly in her eyes. _

_"When I was sixteen," she told him as her expression changed to a darker more somber mask, "the first boy I ever kissed ended up in a coma for three weeks. I can still feel him in my head. I can feel everyone I've ever accidentally touched since then, everyone except you." There was a wave of hope that washed over her face at looking at him, thinking that maybe she was not completely incapable of human contact after all and that some how there is such a thing as an immunity to her. _

_He noticed the sudden heighten of her voice at the mention of him and very cautiously, he looked her in the eyes and noticed the longing gaze she had for him. Holding his hand out again for her, he watched as she carefully placed her hand inside of his, and saw her close her eyes and absorb the warm satisfaction of being touched by someone. _

_"What makes you so different, John?" She had almost forgotten how comforting and inviting another person's direct skin was. _

_"Because you trust me," he said with an air of confidence as she pulled her hand away, feeling the slight sting of loosing the undeviating contact with her bare skin. _

_"Do I really? Do you trust me?" _

_Marie watched him contemplating her question and her mind could not fathom why he should trust her. But at the same time she felt in her hearts of hearts that he did, the same way that she trusted him with such reckless certainty. _

_"I don't know why," he said staring at her hard, almost as if trying to catch a glimpse into her soul, "but with my life I do." _

_XXXXXXXX_

The field was littered with broken spirits and wreckage that was laced with the thundering cries of the echo of a forgotten war. The remains of the battle were still fresh on the surface of the camp as Emma Frost's fair body moved through the Earth. She was disgusted by having to do such lowly dirty work but she knew if she wanted an upper hand she had to collect the final piece to use in her defense against the opposition to the woven tapestry of treason and power.

Looking around the broken field and scars of the earth, she felt no remorse for the sacrifices made due to her thirst for power. She was the white queen; she should not have to feel apologetic to insignificant insects or the suffering of anyone lower than her.

All her life she was blessed with beauty and privilege that forced her to always be on guard and constantly be one step ahead. Her ambition was a product of her prestige and bloodline, a bloodline that brought her no peace since her admittance into the inner circle. She was always on guard, always constantly plotting and planning for so long that she was not use to having the peace of absolute power, Emma Frost always wanted more.

As her long blonde hair flowed in the wind, she finally came across what she was looking for. Underneath all the rumble, buried beneath mounds of dirt and devastation, she saw traces of brown locks of hair and an exposed blood crusted hand. Using her telekinetic abilities she slowly moved the debris away from him to expose his broken body. There was no doubt in her mind that he would have died in the explosion had it not been for her. She had saved him, she had protected him, and now his very existence was going to protect her.

**XXXXXXX**

**Well, that's the first chapter. Hope you guys like it. I know its short but again, I'm getting back into the groove of writing. I would love to hear what you guys think.**

**Sincerely,**

**Leah**


	28. Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Two

Previously:

**As her long blonde hair flowed in the wind, she finally came across what she was looking for. Underneath all the rumble, buried beneath mounds of dirt and devastation, she saw traces of brown locks of hair and an exposed blood crusted hand. Using her telekinetic abilities she slowly moved the debris away from him to expose his broken body. There was no doubt in her mind that he would have died in the explosion had it not been for her. She had saved him, she had protected him, and now his very existence was going to protect her...**

- Of Thieves and Martyrs-

Chapter Two: New

"_Hey, Marie, don't look now but your guest is here," her co-worker, Sam, told her as he poured a tall light beer from the tap machine and placed it on her serving tray. "You know, as often as he stops by, you'd think he'd make an effort to introduce himself," he eyed the boy who sat at his usual corner booth uneasily. _

"_He's a very private person," she defended him, trying not to show her excitement at his arrival. Through her peripherals she can see John seated at the booth, at their booth where they first introduced themselves, she was counting how many seconds it would take before she can turn and make eye contact with him without giving herself away. _

_It had been a week since his visit to her apartment, a week of long nightly conversations, seven days of visits to her work, one hundred and sixty-eight hours of walking her home, 10,080 minutes of discovering and knowing the one person in the world that was immune to her. _

_Ever since the first night he stopped by they had spent every night with each other. He would show up on schedule an hour before her shift was over to protectively walk her through the New York streets to her small apartment and she would invite him in for coffee that they never drank and watch a movie that they would not pay attention to as the echoes of their long conversations would lull them to sleep on her small futon couch, holding each other, knowing that for several brief hours they were both exactly where they needed to be. _

"_Still, I don't trust him," Sam said giving her a look of concern. While Marie trusted the mysterious boy enough, Sam was not convinced. They had not known each other that long and he felt it in his bones that there was something John was hiding. He did not like the way both Marie and John and fallen into each other so willingly and it unnerved him that she had almost become John's property with the way he would protectively hover over her when a customer looked at her in their usual lustful way. _

"_You shouldn't either, Marie, what's it been a week? What do you really know about him?" Marie eyed Sam's brown orbs and noticed the way his eyebrows tensed when he asked her that question, letting his messy hair fall slightly over his eyes. _

_Ever since the first day that Sam had seen Marie storm out of the bar and saw the young man follow her in, Sam had taken a special interest in John. There were always rumors that circulated between the other female servers that Marie was a special kind of co-worker to Sam that he had a small attraction to her but she thought nothing of it. Since her mutation she found it fruitless to try to pursue any type of a relationship with anyone so when the rumors tickled her ears she just brushed it off and let his little crush wither away, at least until John's appearance. _

"_The way I see it Sam, I already like what I do know and I can't wait to find out what I don't know," she finally turned to face John's table as she said this, her back now to Sam. _

"_Just be careful, ok? I don't want anything to happen to you," he said to her back, watching her slowly walk the line to the table where her new infatuation sat, and waiting for her like he did every night. _

"_Neither does he, Sam," she responded back in such a low voice that she was not sure if he did hear her nor did she care. The only thing that she cared about in that instance was the shortening distance between her and John as she made her way to him with a large smile that danced at the corner of her lips. She knew he felt her coming because before she can trail the extra few steps to his table he got up and turned towards her, opening his arms for her to fall into them. _

"_How much longer," he asked her as he breathed in the scent of her hair, wrapping his arms tighter around her. He was never one for public displays of affection but he made the exception for her. He knew how much she reveled in being touched because being around him were the only moments when it can happen. Something as simple as a hug, a handshake, or a slight graze she must be cautious of half of her waking day and it made her treasure every small caress from him. _

"_Just give me a few minutes to clock out and get my things," she said breaking away from him. "Are you hungry?" She asked him for mannerism purposes but knew what his answer would be. While his 5'8 body lends itself to him being naturally scrawnier than most guys, she was still amazed at how quickly he can devour a large meal. _

"_Do you need to ask?" He smiled his sideways cocky grin of his that she found endearing. _

"_Burger," he told her and she nodded understanding exactly how he likes his burger. She had been working at this particular location for about six months now and in the first month she had grown sick of the food so Marie did not mind using her daily meal allowance on him. At least someone was taking advantage of her meager work benefits here, she told herself thinking about how something as simple as a burger could make John so happy and by proxy it made her happy. _

_After putting his order in, after dropping off her last round of drinks, after transitioning out of her shift, she finally felt the freedom of releasing her hands from the oppression of her gloves and settled herself across from John, watching him devour his food in a hungry prowl. _

"_I guess they don't chew where you come from," she stated jokingly as he looked up from his plate to meet her eyes. She pondered her statement to him briefly and Sam's warnings; she didn't know where he came from. She really did not know much about him, she realized that when it came to his life and his history he always kept things very vague or revert the attention back to her. She did not even know his last name. _

"_John, where are you from?"_

"_I've moved around a lot," he answered using the same shallow depth that she was use to hearing. _

"_But where were you born? How did you end up here of all places? I want to know." _

"_Why all the questions," he was getting aggressive with her, something that she had not experienced him do before. He was attempting to build walls around her which was strange because they both always seemed so unguarded around each other. _

"_Why can't you just give me a straight answer?" Her questions were simple, not personal or too private. They were just formal questions you ask anyone you wanted to know and she did not understand why he was so hesitant in answering them. _

"_I ended up here because of my mutation; I figured you of all people would understand that. Once I'm exposed I have to leave if I want some peace." He gave her an answer and it was definitely not one that she was satisfied with. He was still avoiding the much more personal and recluse past of his that just made her want to push him even further. _

"_What about before that, your hometown, your mom, what's your last name John?" She knew she was pressing his buttons but his vagueness was starting to frustrate her. _

"_My last name is Allerdyce, my mom is no longer alive and my father never really played a big enough part in my life for me to remember." _

_Marie glanced up at Sam slightly and saw the concerned look he had on his face. It was obvious that Sam was eavesdropping on their conversation the minute the exchange between them went from being the usual admirable first encounters to that of a harsher nature. _

"_Are you ready to go?" She asked him hoping to shift the subject and calm his shaking voice. He nodded and laced his fingers with hers before walking out of the prying eyes of Sam and her other co-workers, hand in hand in the direction of her apartment. _

_They walked in the comfortable silence, letting the unspoken words of young love translate with the way his thumb would graze and gently rub her hand and the way the shyness of her eyes would try to catch brief glimpses of him. She wanted to get to know him, wanted to learn every insignificant detail of his life, learn about every bruises, scars, and freckles on his lean body. She wanted to understand what type of man she was falling for. _

"_So what's on the agenda for tonight?" She asked him hoping that the response she would get would be something different than their usual stroll to her apartment and late night conversations wrapped in layers of blankets as they sat on the balcony of her bedroom window, letting the cool night air guide them to a soft slumber. _

"_Well, let's get you home first then we'll play it by ear." Marie knew what he meant by the sentence. She knew it was his way of deflecting the question and go along with their usual routine. _

"_How about we get you home first?" She asked him when she realized that while she loved his presence she still had no idea who he was or even where he lived. _

"_There's nothing that great about where I live," he tried to brush off._

"_I don't care, I want to go," she pressed on, wondering why he kept himself so guarded yet so opened with her. _

"_Marie, I-I," he started but she saw that he could not bring himself to finish. To encourage him, she swept his hair out of his eyes and allowed her hand to caress the softness of his face, letting him know that no matter what he belonged with her. _

"_Marie, I don't have a home. I've been living in an abandoned building for some time now." She looked at him now understanding why they spent those long hours at her apartment, why he kept himself just an arm's length away from her. _

"_Move in with me," she said with all the certainty in the world and felt her heart rate quicken as she watched his dumbfound expression as a wave of new excitement rushed to her cheeks. _

_-X-X-X-X-X-_

There was an enormous amount of tension in the air that it made it almost uncomfortable just to breathe. It unnerved Wanda Maximoff to have the source of all her past troubles in the same room as her but she focused on the battered young man who lied unconscious on the stretcher before her and kept reminding herself that he too was a pawn in the otherwise venomous web that Emma Frost had weaved and did not deserve her wrath despite the means by which he had arrived on her island.

She could not understand how his mind still showed signs of life with the state that his body was in. There was something that his mind is still holding onto, something he refuses to let go. Wanda's eyes couldn't help but momentarily gaze at her latest charge, still suspended in time and still in reverie, and while she did not understand the life that still existed in him she knew his reason for still being.

"He's a lucky one isn't he?" A hauntingly callous voice echoed in the room over the beeping of the multiple heart monitors. Wanda was not sure how to answer that with anything other than vile disgust at the thought that she, the callous one, could consider him lucky when it was her doing that caused such despair to befall him. The Scarlett Witch thought about just ordering Emma Frost out of the sanctuary of her Genosha then and there but thought better of it. The White Queen was a Hellion, a member of the exclusive Hellfire Club, which now with Sebastian Shaw with his finger on the sentinel program meant that Emma Frost could easily bring down her entire operation. The question that daunted on her was why did she bring this torn body of a mutant to her and not call in her numerous connections.

After cleaning and bandaging the last of his wounds, Wanda hooked him to a heart monitor and attached an IV line to him, ensuring that his nutrient deprived body will finally be quenched and hoping that one day his return to the world will break her other charge out of a different realm of dreams and fantasies.

"What do you want Emma?" Wanda had finally asked the question that was itching away at her the moment the White Queen set foot onto her island. "Last I heard your agenda was to get rid of him, why are you here?"

"Very simple, my dear Wanda," Emma spoke with a confident ease as she glided across the room to look at Wanda face to face. "He's alive because I need him to be. Things in the inner circle are changing and he's going to be the ace card I need."

"If and when he wakes up, he's not going to trust you. He knows who you are, you and Sebastian Shaw." Wanda was curious to know what was going on with the Hellfire Club that would cause one of its most powerful members to seek help from her and to need the aid of a former X-Man.

"See, that's where you come in. I need you to do a mind wipe of his memories." Her words almost shocked Wanda in a frozen state. She did not need Wanda for that, Emma Frost is one of the most powerful telekinetic mutants in the world, and she can easily erase someone's mind with the flick of her wrist. There was something else she wanted from Wanda, something that she herself cannot do, something that Wanda in her very soul knew what Emma Frost wanted her to do for the simple fact that no one not even the White Queen herself wanted to be the one to destroy someone's universe.

She was hoping she could be wrong, hoping that maybe the reason Emma needed her was for safe haven but just to be sure, Wanda kept quiet and waited for her to finish.

"I need you to not only eradicate his past but I need you to build him a new one." And there it was, Wanda thought to herself, the one thing that Frost herself cannot or will not do. "A new name, a new identity, with a history so he can be hidden from the Hellfire Club."

-Author's Note-

Well, I'm not dead, I just needed time to formulate my plans. I promise you this will be a good story.

Previews for the next chapter: Remy makes his appearance

Sincerely,

Leah


	29. Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Three

**Previously...**

**She was hoping she could be wrong, hoping that maybe the reason Emma needed her was for safe haven but just to be sure, Wanda kept quiet and waited for her to finish. **

**"I need you to not only eradicate his past but I need you to build him a new one." And there it was, Wanda thought to herself, the one thing that Frost herself cannot or will not do. "A new name, a new identity, with a detailed history so he can be hidden from the Hellfire Club." **

X~X~X~X

Of Thieves and Martyrs

Chapter Three: Dreams and Memories

_She should feel different now, Marie thought to herself as she watched from her kitchen table the uniform way that John was preparing a sandwich. It was one of her few days off in the past two weeks and they were enjoying lunch at home on a rather quiet Wednesday afternoon. It had only been four months since her and John took that leap of faith and decided to move in together, four wonderfully difficult months. While they bickered about small things such as where the butter goes, or what to do on laundry day, they found a routine that worked for them. _

_Marie kept thinking that it was all just a dream, that one day she would wake up and realize he did not exist and she really was alone in this world but every morning she wakes up to the sound of his quiet slumber and the vision of his messy hair and warm body. _

_"Do you ever think about the future?" She asked him, wrapping the shawl around her a little tighter; October always was a cold month. He took a bite out of his sandwich in the kitchen with his eyebrows raised, signaling to her to elaborate on the question. "Do you ever imagine or wonder where you'll be in five years, or six years, what do you see?" _

_"Do you want me to be honest?" He said and opened the kitchen drawer, waiting for her shy nod that he had come to recognize so much. "I see you," as he said this he put his sandwich down and pulled a small box out of the kitchen drawer. Waltzing over to her as if he were giving her the world, he placed the small box before her. It was wrapped in simple gold paper with a red ribbon. There was no note and no reason she could think of for him to give her a gift. _

_"What is this for?" She said with great curiosity as her hands grazed the ribbon and the corners of the box, expecting a hoax or worst, a dream where she will wake up and realize he's not there. She didn't wait for him to answer and instead gently untied the ribbon and tore through the wrapping. Opening the box she saw a familiar shine that she had come to know and love. _

_Placed delicately on the bed of tissues rested his lighter, the same lighter that he always carried with him, for protection he use to say to her. "I don't understand," she said as she shook her head, lifting her eyes to meet his. _

_"For protection remember?" He said it as though she understood but when she continued to shake her head he took the lighter out of the box and placed it in her hand. "I carry this with me to protect me because up until now my priority has always been me, well, things have changed. You changed everything Marie. You're my priority, I want to protect you above all else." _

_She smiled and touched his hand that placed the lighter into hers as she slowly lifted it up to see his reflection off the polished metal. At seeing the reflection off the lighter the smile at the corner of her lips creased at the images displaying itself on the lighter. She saw everything she wished for John and herself. She saw reflections of them starting a life together, tiny vivid images of laundry days and Sunday mornings. She saw a church and a steeple, white picket fences, and children that looked like them. The images that Marie saw were all the things that mutants like John and she wished for, normalcy. _

_Then for no apparent reason at all, she heard tiny whispers and words play itself in her ears. The serene images started to blur and bleed into a pool that molded into new visions, new scenes that shocked and frightened her. _

"I'll be back, I promise,"_ she saw the image in the reflection of John saying that to her as he opened her palm, placing his lighter into it, "_here, for protection,"_ were his final words to her before she saw his reflection start to fade away as if slipping from her. Suddenly her head started to spin and her sight completely blurred as she felt the ground beneath her move. Letting the lighter slip out of her hands she fell into a deep void of unconsciousness. _

_X~X~X~X_

"Let the good times roll," Remy LeBeau thought to himself sarcastically as he listened to the familiar speech of his surrogate father. The same speech that Jean Luc LeBeau gave every seven years since Remy was old enough to remember.

"Seven years have passed, and once again my fellow guild members, it is time we honor our benefactress," Jean Luc continued as two men came forward with large chests full of gold and money, anything the guild had of monetary value.

For years Remy did not understand why they traded half of their earnings for three tubes of purple liquid from the old man dressed in a trench coat. It was not until he was sixteen years old that he understood that the old man, the Tithe Collector, was giving them life in exchange for money. That was when he finally understood the rivalry between his guild, the Thieves Guild, and the Assassins Guild.

The Thieves have the life and the Assassins have the power. That was the way it has always been in New Orleans. Every seven years the crowded streets of Bourbon and the entire French Quarter would be silent knowing that both guilds were making their contribution and should anything upset the delicate balance it would mean death.

"Have you the tithe?" The Tithe Collector said in a powerful voice.

"Yes," Jean Luc commanded and the two men opened the chest revealing the treasures within it. The Tithe Collector nodded with approval and set down his suitcase on the lectern in front of him and popped it open revealing three tubes of purple and glowing blow liquid. The sight of the three tubes made the guild members eyes light up and gloss over with desire.

Everyone wanted a taste, a drop of the mixture that would ensure them life. A precise mixture of the liquid has the ability to restore health to the sickest and youth to the old. It meant that the ones who had the privilege of being the chosen one for the year would live just that much longer. Every member of the guild at one point or another has had a taste and all it took was just one taste to want more. Everyone except for Remy, who was the youngest and having just turned twenty meant that he paid his dues, that it was his turn to benefit from all the years of artfully dodging authorities to steal anything that fetched a handsome price. That was the way of the Thieves Guild, not just petty thief but objects that was worth thousands sometimes even millions of dollars only to have half of it as a contribution to the benefactress.

"Thieves, your tithe is true," the Tithe Collector said and left the vial to them. In a cloud of smoke he disappeared along with the two large chests. This was the time where everyone waited a few minutes to fully absorb the importance of this ceremony and why after so many years nothing has changed. Remy looked at the vials and thought about all the sacrifices he had made, everything he had given up for just a taste of the life that glowed in the vials.

"Remy," Jean Luc's eyes directed towards him and his hand gestured for him to stand before the guild so that he too can experience what many amongst them have tasted and yearned for.

His reverie was broken when the slammed open and all sacred ceremony amongst the Thieves Guild was interrupted by an angry young man. His dirty blond hair looked even darker with the sweat that beaded from his forehead and clutched in his hand was a revolver that was screaming to be used.

"REMY!" He shouted and came storming towards the young man, who out of instinct took out one of his signature weapons, a playing card that he had hidden at the sleeve of his brown duster.

"Julien, you are not welcomed here," Jean Luc said in a calm voice as he came in between the feuding men.

"You scoundrel, Gambit," he continued to yell. "You have disgraced my family name and stolen my sister's innocence."

Jean Luc turned to Remy and noticed that the playing card in his hand started to glow and flare with pink and yellow energy and knew that he had to mediate quickly or risk the possibility of another war between the Thieves Guild and the Assassin's Guild.

"Sorry Mon Ami," Gambit said coyly and let the card drop to the ground after the energy that streamed from it disappeared by his own doing. "Whatever it was that was exchanged between me and Belladonna was given not stolen and I can assure you she did it without any persuasion," a smirk crept at the corner of his lips as he said this and it only further enraged Julien.

"LET HIM GO!" A commanding voice shouted behind Julien and all the Thieves Guild members in the room turned their heads to the regal stature of Marius Boudeaux, the patriarch of the Assassin's Guild.

The tall man marched into the room followed by an entourage of his best and gifted assassins. "Jean Luc," he nodded towards the head of the Thieves Guild and then turned to face Remy. "What my son says is true. Your son has trespassed on my property and seduced my daughter and I demand retribution."

"Marius," Jean Luc said calmly, "What happens between children is nothing we can control. We cannot control their hormones or attractions."

"I DON'T CARE!" Marius said sternly. "He's a thief, she's an assassin, we have rules and laws, and without them then we just revert back to the old ways, the ways of war."

Jean Luc knew exactly what Marius meant and how thin their quiet truce was. Gambit, his surrogate son, have broken the most sacred of all rules and that is no thief or assassin shall ever interfere or have anything to do with each other. It is an old law but one that was obeyed through duty and tradition.

"You know what the punishment is Jean Luc," Marius continued through his rage and gritted teeth. "Exile, I don't want him anywhere around my daughter or New Orleans for that matter."

Jean Luc turned to Remy who just looked back at disbelief with his father. He could not fathom why his father, the man who brought him up, would betray him to the assassins and exile his own son. Jean Luc just shook his head at Remy, telling him that there was nothing he could do and laws were laws.

"I'm sorry Gambit, for the sake of peace..." Remy would not let Jean Luc continue.

"Whatever, Jean Luc, have your peace," he said disrespectfully then turned towards the door swinging his coat over the lectern. "But just so you know I'm no longer a thief and that means rules don't apply to me anymore," Gambit echoed it into the room with his hands in his pocket, knowing full well that it won't be long before they come after him just as long as it wasn't before he left town and become just another face in the crowd.

X~X~X~X

_"Pretty ugly isn't it?"_

_"I think you're beautiful."_

_He knew exactly where he was, where he wanted to be. He knew he was living in a reverie and his mind was letting him sink further and further in the sweet fragrance of familiarity. The plane between reality and subconscious did not exist to him nor did it matter as long as the scent of honey suckle that was laced with lavender stayed forever present. He felt the warmth of her bare skin radiating next to him and could hear the silent breathes she took as her body shook with silent tears. _

_He's been here before, he thought, and yet will be perfectly happy visiting for just a little while longer. He could hear what she's about to say play itself in his mind and could almost feel the way she threw herself at him, not wanting to ever let go. _

_"Don't ever leave me John," Marie said through tears as she wrapped herself around him, burying her head at the crook of his neck. He could do nothing except hold her tighter and inhale the scent of her hair. _

_"I'm never going to leave you again, I'm not going anywhere," he said to her and continued to stroke her long dark hair, the exact way he did many moons ago; the way he will always remember finding his way home to her._

_In his hearts of hearts he knew this was just a dream, that his mind was playing tricks on him and he was letting it because all he wanted was to hold onto her, if not in the corporal world then in his. _

_John held onto Marie D'Ancanto tighter, thinking that if he let go for just a tiny instance his mind would drift off into a different plane filled with complete oblivion. He stroked her thick hair feeling it between his fingers and noticing the fullness of it fading, becoming thinner, and almost disappearing. He let his cheek touch hers, feeling the coldness of her skin. He did not remember her being so cold. _

_Wondering about the discrepancies in his memories he pulled her away from him slightly to take a look at her, making sure she is ok and that she is there with him. She was not the embodiment of the girl he knew, her skin had become so translucent that he could almost see right pass her. He lifted his hand to touch hers and felt nothing but the coldness as his hand passed right through hers. _

_What's going on? He thought to himself as she continued to fade slowly away from him. _

_"John," he heard her voice echoing in the room, calling to him with the quiet fear that only he could hear. "Jooohhhnnn." _

_You're taking her away from me; you're taking me away from her. He thought to himself as he desperately tried to run towards her fading body, trying fruitlessly to bring her back to him. _

_X~X~X~X_

Well, I promised Gamit and there he is. Don't worry he plays a VERY prominent role in future chapters. Also, please read and review. I haven't written in a long time and I still want to know that someone out there is still reading so that I know all the effort I put into this is not in vein.

**Previews for next chapter:**

The White Queen was correct in her diagnosis that no one person can put up such barriers around two powerful mutants such as Emma and Wanda but Wanda knew in her hearts of hearts that he was not fighting them alone.

_"John?" She said upon entering the living room of her apartment. The room was dark and silent. She felt her skin crawl at the revelation that John was not there. Creeping quietly she went to turn on a lamp that illuminated the room and that brought her an unsettling reassurance that John was indeed not in the room._

_Please let me keep this one, just this one, he said to himself as he felt himself running towards her but never gaining any distance. The only thing that he heard back from his plea was her words echoing into his mind._

Sincerely,

Leah A Knight


	30. Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Four

**Previously...**

**_"John," he heard her voice echoing in the room, calling to him with the quiet fear that only he could hear. "Jooohhhnnn." _**

**_You're taking her away from me; you're taking me away from her. He thought to himself as he desperately tried to run towards her fading body, trying fruitlessly to bring her back to him. _**

**_X~X~X~X_**

Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Four

Holding On

"What's wrong Wanda?" Emma Frost rushed quickly to the laboratory downstairs, upon entering hearing the rapid beats of an alarm. She had been resting in the library, looking at the old scrolls and documents, trying to find a loophole in Hellfire Club and was broken from her deep concentration when she heard the panic in Wanda Maximoff's mind.

"I don't know, Emma, he's crashing, something's wrong," Wanda tried desperately to steady the heart rate of the boy in the stretcher in front of her. Doing everything she can to stabilize his vitals, out of the peripheral of her eyes she saw a sudden sharp movement in the isolated tube of her other charge. It was the first time she saw such movements in any of her charges and it worried her that it happened to be Marie's suspended chamber.

Emma Frost tried to save him and diagnose him the only way she can and very gently laid her hand on his head to access the gateway of his subconscious. The White Queen saw it, she felt it, everything that he was feeling, everything that he was trying to hold onto, all the things that they were trying to take away from him he was resisting it. It's not possible; Emma thought to herself, it was not possible for one being to be able to defend against the powers of the mind, especially in a weak state that he is currently in right now.

Wanda saw the perplex look in Emma's face as she mentally examined the boy. She knew if anything Emma could help her identify exactly what was wrong with John and what she must do.

"Emma? What do you see?" It sounded strange to Wanda, asking Emma for help, the shakiness of their thin alliance evident in the way that both women hesitated at asking the other for help. When Emma did not answer right away Wanda became worried. "Emma, I can't help him if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"He's resisting you, he's resisting us." Emma said in a stern tone that was masked by frustration. "This is not possible. There is no way he has the power, the mental capacity to be able to do this."

Emma understood the power of the mind but she can never understand the power of the heart. Her aristocratic upbringing has always put her above people and while she has a superb understand of what the mind is capable of, she never fully understood what the power of the spirit can do the way that Wanda understood it. The Scarlett Witch can alter a person's life, their reality subconscious or otherwise and in her training to do that she had to develop an understanding of the human spirit, their very thoughts and desires that served as a gateway to their world in the way they understand it to be.

The White Queen was correct in her diagnosis that no one person can put up such barriers around two powerful mutants such as Emma and Wanda but Wanda knew in her hearts of hearts that he was not fighting them alone.

X~X~X~X

_"Marie, I love you more than anything, loving you has made everything worth it. Being with you was the only peace I had ever known."_

_"John, don't leave me, please don't leave me."_

_"I'm never going to leave you, I'm not going anywhere, just remember me…remember me…"_

_Marie woke up in a pool of sweat and a cloud of worry. She saw it, she dreamt it, she felt it, John dying in her arms, his body broken and battered bleeding in front of her. _

_"John!" She yelled loudly in the dark room, waiting for a response from him. "John?" She yelled again and aggressively threw the covers away from her. Her tank top and bedroom shorts were sticking to her body as if it were a second skin. _

_"John?" She said upon entering the living room of her apartment. The room was dark and silent. She felt her skin crawl at the revelation that John was not there. Creeping quietly she went to turn on a lamp that illuminated the room and that brought her an unsettling reassurance that John was indeed not in the room._

_A wave of panic washed over her as the vision of John dying in her arms played itself in her mind. Was he really gone? Was he even real or was he to a dream? She did not want to think that meeting him was just a dream and now she was waking up to the harsh reality of being truly and completely alone. _

_Marie checked the clock above the mantel, 11:45 PM, her heart started to beat rhythmically with every turn of the clock. All the worst scenarios started to play itself in her mind and all she can make her body do was take small bitter steps around the living room. In her mind she was hoping, praying that he was playing a joke on her and will burst out of the closet or from under the table. _

_The door opened and all she could do was take a deep breath, trying not to have false hopes of seeing him. At seeing the sight of his messy brown hair and green eyes she let go of the breathe she was holding and ran into him with a force beyond her that the momentum almost toppled both of them over._

_"Whoa, Marie, I'm glad to see you're ok." He said trying to steady himself and her. _

_"Oh my god, John, you're here, you're alive." _

_"Why wouldn't I be?" He said and pulled her away from him to take a look at her. He grasp the small lock of hair that covered the side of her face and pushed it back behind her ear, remember just how beautiful she is. "You gave me quite a scare earlier. Are you ok?" _

_"I'm fine, just a little tired that's all. Where were you?" _

_"I went for a walk. You've been out for almost ten hours." _

_"John, don't leave me, please don't leave me," she didn't know why but she felt compelled to say that and in the back of her mind she could almost hear exactly what he would say to her. _

_"I'm never going to leave you, I'm not going anywhere," he said just as she had predicted but kept hearing a strange echo that sounded like him. Just remember me….remember me…_

_"John," she heard herself say but her voice was laced with echo and abandonment. "Remember me," Marie did not understand why she felt compelled to say that but in her soul she knew that she wanted to constantly remind him of who she was, why she was here, and that they belonged together. _

_He smirked at her irrational sentence but heard the small traces of fear in her voice and thought it best if he humored her, "I can never forget you." _

_X~X~X~X_

_I always thought as different as we are, somehow we can still be together_

_And… and now I don't know… I don't know anything_

_You know how I feel about you_

_"I have never asked you to not be who you are, to not be Marie D'Ancanto; please don't ask me to stop being who I am," John repeated the words he remembered all too well while holding onto Rogue. He remembered this very well, he can still feel every touch, hear every breathe she took and can still taste every tear that trickled down her face. _

_"Remember me," he heard her whisper but did not feel her lips move against his close embrace. _

_"Did you say something?" This was not how it went, John knew this. He knew that this was not the moment when she accepted him for everything that he was. This was not what he remembered, things were changing and he sensed that. She shook her head but he could not feel it, all he felt was a familiar coldness. She was being pulled from him again. He can see her slowly letting go of his embrace and he saw her figure grow smaller, farther away from him. _

_Please let me keep this one, just this one, he said to himself as he felt himself running towards her but never gaining any distance. The only thing that he heard back from his plea was her words echoing into his mind._

_Remember me…remember me_

_X~X~X~X_

"I just don't understand this, Wanda; we're working in circles here. Every attempt I make at erasing his memories and planting a new one in the same memory somehow reappears." Emma Frost said as she threw her glass of red wine across the room. "How can a mutant of his level resist this?" She screamed at no one in particular, her voice just continued to echo in the hall.

Wanda's eyes turned towards the capsule next to him at the mutant girl but quickly revert her gaze back to John. She knew exactly how he was able to resist them; she knew how _they_ were able to resist everything that Emma Frost can throw at him. She did not want any suspicion to fall onto Rogue, for fear that if Emma knew the reason why he was resisting then her other charge too would soon be in danger.

"We're running short on time, Emma, the tithing just happened that means we don't have much more time." She reminded Emma of the reason why she was here, the reason why they saved John.

"I know Wanda, don't you think I know? We can't screw this up. There has to be some other way."

"I can only think of one way, it's not the most secure choice but if anything it will at least buy us some time." The White Queen nodded her head to allow Wanda to continue. "We can't build memories for him right now, at least not while he's resisting and we obviously can't easily erase them, why not just put up a wall?"

Emma's eyes squinted trying to comprehend exactly what Wanda was saying.

"What Xavier did with Jean Grey, just put up mental barriers around his memories, they won't be completely gone but at least for a time he won't remember. He'll just wake up one day and realize he has amnesia, perfectly normal, with a reasonable explanation."

X~X~X~X

Please Read and Review so my efforts are not fruitless. To answer Fluid's question, the plot revolves around Remy and both Guilds. Also, not to give anything away one of the underlying themes of this story is pre-determined destiny over our choices in life, Rogue's belief in the fact that John is meant for her and the choices that leads her to follow a different path. I'm always torn between the movie and the comics because in the comics I know Rogue and Gambit are meant for each other but in the movie I think she belongs with Pyro.

Previews for Next Chapter:

There were not many places that Gambit could turn to after being shun from the only place he knew as home. The truth was after being betrayed by the people that he thought he could count on the most, he felt like there was no one in the world he can turn to, no one he can trust. He was all alone and can only depend on himself but truth be told he preferred it that way. That means the only person he had to worry about was himself, the only person who was of any concern to him was him.

Sincerely,

Leah


	31. Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Five

**Previously...**

**"What Xavier did with Jean Grey, just put up mental barriers around his memories, they won't be completely gone but at least for a time he won't remember. He'll just wake up one day and realize he has amnesia, perfectly normal, with a reasonable explanation."**

Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Five

Nothing, Nowhere

There were not many places that Gambit could turn to after being shun from the only place he knew as home. The truth was after being betrayed by the people that he thought he could count on the most, he felt like there was no one in the world he can turn to, no one he can trust. He was all alone and can only depend on himself but truth be told he preferred it that way. That means the only person he had to worry about was himself, the only person who was of any concern to him was him.

The long corridor of the hallway seemed to stretch forever as he took careful steps to evade the laser alarms. It was a grand hallway that was furnished with expensive old paintings that he could only guess dates back to the days when the Cajuns first came to New Orleans. The ways and nature of both Guilds were ancient, old laws that were still mandatory and obeyed even in new times.

He swiftly moved through the alarm and quickly was in front of a majestic decorated door that he knew all too well. He had been sneaking in here since he was in his adolescences and truth be told after the events at the tithing ceremony he would not have come back had it not been necessary. Opening the door very quietly he tiptoed in, trying not to glance momentarily at the sleeping body that slumbered on the canopied queen bed.

His eyes locked on the small trinket that seemed to glow in the darkness as it rested on the mahogany vanity mirror. Waltzing stealthily over to the vanity he picked up the brass ring and tucked it in his pocket.

"Remy?" He heard a sleepy voice behind him. He knew who it was and his disappointment forced him not to turn and look at her. "Remy, you came back for me?"

He left out an exasperated sign, not wanting to let her see any emotions he still harbored for her, "I didn't come for you Belle, I came for my things."

"What are you going to do now? You're not leaving me are you?" Her small voice did not mask her fear.

"What choice do I have Belladonna? I'm no longer a thief; it won't be long before Julien comes after me."

"Remy, we could still be together," she pleaded with him and it was all he could do to just turn around and look at the desperate girl. The girl he had risked everything for, the girl that sold him out.

"Belle, how can you expect me to be with someone who threw me to the wolves?" He could not understand why someone who he trusted, who he had been with for years would lie to her father and brother to save herself from humiliation and disappointment?

Remy always entertained the idea in his head of their union, a marriage that will bring about the end of the rivalry between the Guilds and restore real peace. But that dream was tarnished when she betrayed him and filled her brother and father's head with salacious lies of him seducing their perfect and innocent girl.

"I had to Remy, I'm a Bourdeaux, there's expectations," she tried to explain to him but he would not have it. He refused to listen and to let her finish.

"I'm a Lebeau, name doesn't mean a thing, just a name." He did not have time to listen to her pleads and as quickly and quietly as he entered the hostile house he jumped agilely out her window and landed on his feet before disappearing into the dark wooded area of her family estate.

X~X~X~X

_I want to know what I have_

_You had me_

_He can feel her slipping away from him again. He can feel every small moment they ever shared with each other fading away and leaving nothing but the hallow feeling of emptiness and confusion behind. She looked at him with bright eyes the way he remembered her to be, the way she was meant to be, beautiful…innocent… and his._

_"Marie," he said out of context. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, so many things he should have said to her when he had the chance. All the regrets he ever had started to play itself in his mind and it caused his breathing to become hard as his hands started to tremble._

_"Marie, I don't know what's happening but they're taking you away."_

_"John, what are you talking about?" He did not expect that. His reverie of Rogue had always been verbatim to his memory, never before had she responded out of character. He looked at her and she looked back at him, not in the way he remembered her but the way she had always looked at him, as though she were really there._

_"Marie?" He did not know what was going on and was questioning his sanity. "Marie, can you hear me?"_

_"John, I don't understand what you're talking about, or what's going on." She tried to reach for him and he let her, not feeling the same coldness he normally felt before._

_"Rogue, neither do I, I just know I can feel you slipping away from me."_

_"I don't understand."_

_"I don't know what's going on but I'm starting to forget about you, about us and I don't want to wake up and not know who you are." His voice started to break, feeling the heaviness in his heart and soul._

_"You're alive? John, you're alive?" She repeated the words thinking that maybe she imagined him to be real and still living in the physical plane._

_"Marie, focus, they're taking you away from me."_

_"Why would anyone want to do that?" She questioned him but not really caring about the answer, her mind still trying to fathom the fact that they can still be together._

_"I don't know…" he trailed off trying to imagine waking up in a world where Rogue, his Marie did not exist and everything that they ever shared was just a dream. "Just try to find me and remember me, make me remember, I don't want to forget about you," he said desperately and felt her slipping away from him again, her image fading and him not running away but accepting that there was nothing he can do._

_X~X~X~X_

**I'm not dead, just been busy. The truth is I am having trouble finding inspiration. I don't get a lot of feedback so I don't have a clear direction of where I want the characters to but I am trying to push through for all you guys that have been faithfully following me. Please read and review, give some feedback, ideas of how and where you want things to go would be much appreciated. I need input.**

Leah


	32. Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Six

Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Six

Where To Go

Previously...

**_"You're alive? John, you're alive?" She repeated the words thinking that maybe she imagined him to be real and still living in the physical plane._**

**_"Marie, focus, they're taking you away from me."_**

**_"Why would anyone want to do that?" She questioned him but not really caring about the answer, her mind still trying to fathom the fact that they can still be together._**

**_"I don't know…" he trailed off trying to imagine waking up in a world where Rogue, his Marie did not exist and everything that they ever shared was just a dream. "Just try to find me and remember me, make me remember, I don't want to forget about you," he said desperately and felt her slipping away from him again, her image fading and him not running away but accepting that there was nothing he can do._**

X~X~X~X

"Fools," Gambit thought to himself as he took a long drag of his cigarette. Leaning against a lamp post, he watched the tourists from beneath his tipped black hat, trying not to draw too much attention to himself. It was dangerous for him to still be in New Orleans, but of course that never stopped him before. It was in his nature to always seek danger, and what could be more dangerous than the French Quarter after the Guilds tithing.

It was an old Bourbon street legend that natives were aware of, to clear the streets during the tithing or fear the wrath of the guilds. Remy can already zone in on what stupid tourist will wake up tomorrow on the front page of the newspaper with the headlines of an alcohol related incident but he knew better. The Assassins Guild is a merciless bunch and will not let anything stand in their way of complete insatiable power. That was the way it worked, the shaky truce, the power belonged to the Assassins and the life belonged to the Thieves. The live that he should have had a taste of were it not for Belladonna.

"Hey handsome, you looking for a fun time," a small blonde girl asked him. She had a youthful face that was hidden under all the eyeliner and lipstick that it made her age significantly and the ripped fishnets under her skimpy denim shorts made Gambit aware of which district she wandered from, the notorious red light district. She gave him a hopeful smile, praying that he'll make her night and possibly an air conditioned room for at least a few hours.

"What are you looking for Cherie?" He may have been burned and banished, but he was still a man, he smirked thinking this to himself.

"What are you offering?"

"I'm offering you the world Cher, question is, whether or not you want to see it," he can already feel her being cast under his spell. Charm and charisma was something breathed out of Remy Lebeau so naturally that is almost as common as the air she breathed.

He held out his hand and she gladly placed her small rough hands inside his. "You new to the area," she asked trying to peel back the barriers that the Cajun always had up.

"No, but looking to relocate, somewhere I won't get into so much trouble, New York perhaps."

_X~X~X~X_

Everything was done, there was nothing more for Wanda to do than to sit and wait. Waiting, it seems, to always be the hardest part. Waiting meant that you had no control and that everything was dependant on someone else, someone that the Scarlett Witch might not necessarily trust. Trust was something that was hard to come back in her world, there were too many lives she was responsible for, too many things that can go wrong.

Starring at all of her small medical equipment, she examined each one as she wiped and sanitized each scalpel, tweezers, and anything else she needed to cleanse away of the monstrous deeds that her and the White Queen had executed earlier.

_Clink Clink_

The sound of tapping glass woke Wanda up from her daydream. She dropped an instrument and looked around, hearing nothing but the sound of the beeping heart monitors.

_Clink Clink_

She heard it again, this time louder, walking around, trying to find the source of the noise; she flexed her fingers, almost preparing herself to use her powers. She sound of the tapping glass grew louder and more frequent, and soon was accompanied by the racing heart monitor. Without thinking she ran to the tube of her ward and saw her eyes open, hands banging against the glass trying to find sweet relief from her capsule.

"Rogue," she looked at the alert mutant girl and quickly ran to the dashboard and released the water and the young girl from her suspended animation. "Rogue, are you ok?"

Grasping for air and holding her hand against her chest, the young girl shook her head yes. Feeling the body of Wanda kneeling next to her, and wrapping her body with a warm towel she looked up at the Scarlett Witch for the first time and suddenly Wanda knew. She knew that someone in Rogue's subconscious, John had spoken to her and the glimmer of hope in Marie's eyes blindly reminded her why she spent most of her adult years building Genosha.

_X~X~X~X_

"Now's not the time, Emma," Jean Luc Lebeau tried to dismiss the White Queen from his sight as he stared down at the albums of photographs in front of him. The leader of the Thieves Guild always wondered how Emma Frost managed to get through his many levels of security but today he didn't care. He was not in the mood to see her or anyone else. Jean Luc had been extremely volatile and temperamental lately and everyone knew why, it is a heavy burden for a father to have to banish his son, heir, and legacy.

"Missing someone are we?" She asked coyly, trying to test his patience. "Such a pity," she sarcastically stated as her hand waved seductively in front of his face, placing it directly onto the photo that Jean Luc had been staring at for hours. "Such a handsome young man you've raised," her small fingers tracing the outline of the old photo of Gambit with his father at the tender age of sixteen; the age when he became a true member of the Thieves Guild.

"Too bad you've raised him for nothing," she said and quickly and opened her palm, throwing the album across the room with such force that the spine broke.

"ENOUGH!" Jean Luc shouted and stood up with such anger that his face turned red. How she wander into his domain and insult his son, Hellfire Club or not, he was ready to rid himself of her.

"What's the matter, Lebeau, truth hurts? Besides Gambit wasn't much of anything anyway. So…wild, unruly," she was testing his patience again and he knew it.

"Remy is a good Thief, one of the best, how dare you insult my family."

"I didn't have to, Gambit did enough of that on his own. Bedding an Assassin, entertaining a prostitute," she carried on as her body swiftly found a chair. With her legs slowly crossing, she continued, "when are you going to stop letting his volatile ways ruin the Guild?"

"Gambit maybe young and rambunctious but he's still my son." Acting as the proud father, Jean Luc will always stand by Remy's side no matter what and to whomever, even to the powerful White Queen.

"What if I found you a new one, a more obedient heir to help you lead the Guild," she planted the seed in his mind and could see his eyebrows furrow with confusion. "One that is cunning, resource," she stated and slowly lifted her hands, her eyes following the picture that had floated out of the pile of destroyed photographs and landed directly onto the table in front of Jean Luc, a photo of a young man that he had only read about but never had the pleasure or displeasure of meeting.

"What is your aim, Frost?" The first lesson that every Thief learns about and breathes was never to trust anyone, especially not a beautiful woman and Emma Frost was beautiful that Jean Luc couldn't help but take a momentary glance at her long legs that revealed itself in the white skirt she wore all the way up to her thighs.

"No aim, just keep him safe and out of sight. That's one thing all Thieves are good at, keeping secrets."

"Price," everything had a price and Jean Luc knew that, whether or not it was paid now or later, there will always be a price.

"Your head if anything happens to him." Jean Luc nodded in understanding, and Emma slowly got up, letting her long skirt fall back over her legs as she glided across the room towards the door. "Oh, Jean Luc," she stopped at the door frame and turned her head slightly towards him. The smirk on her face told Jean Luc that she was trying to press his buttons again, "That son of yours that you love so dearly, apparently you taught him too well. The elixir is gone."

_X~X~X~X_

"Thank you, Ms. Maximoff," Rogue said as she took a sip of the hot coffee that sat in front of her, pulling her damp hair over her shoulders so the water droplets don't drip on her back.

"You're welcome, Rogue," Wanda replied , taking a seat across Rogue, trying to gain a sense of what was swimming through the young mutant's mind. It was amazing; Wanda thought to herself, that after everything that Marie had went through she still guarded the lighter with her life. The lighter that she held while in suspended animation; the same one that her hand occasionally grazed across the table from her.

"Rogue, I really wish you would reconsider and stay for a little while longer, at least until I've run some tests on you." She was worried, no mutants under her care have ever awoken from their alternative realities by their sheer force before, and Wanda was the one that always coaxed them out of their slumber.

"Ms. Maximoff, I told I feel fine. There's nothing wrong with me, I just had to wake up."

Wanda shook her head fearing not only for the safety of her ward but for the other mutant that was temporarily under her care as well, Rogue's former lover.

"So what are you going to do now Rogue? Go back to the X-Men?"

Rogue thought about Wanda's question, knowing that eventually she would have to pay them a visit but there was something inside of her telling her that New York is not where she needed to be. "No, I don't think I am." She stated almost trying to reassure herself than Wanda.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Well, I'm going to go to New York, just to see everyone for a little bit, then I'm going to find him, Ms. Maximoff." Marie said with all the confidence in the world as a smile spread across her face. "I know John's out there and I'm going to find him."

**I'm not dead, but please read and review. It's been awhile since I had a review. **

**Leah**


	33. Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Seven

Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Seven

Just The Girl

Previously...

**"So what are you going to do now Rogue? Go back to the X-Men?"**

**Rogue thought about Wanda's question, knowing that eventually she would have to pay them a visit but there was something inside of her telling her that New York is not where she needed to be. "No, I don't think I am." She stated almost trying to reassure herself than Wanda.**

**"So what are you going to do?"**

**"Well, I'm going to go to New York, just to see everyone for a little bit, then I'm going to find him, Ms. Maximoff." Marie said with all the confidence in the world as a smile spread across her face. "I know John's out there and I'm going to find him."**

_X~X~X~X_

_"White, maybe with a trim, and definitely a large yard," Marie told John as she gently placed her hand on his bare chest. Feeling him stroke her hair she couldn't help but position herself closer to him under the crook of his arm. _

_"Why white," he asked her, using his feet to move the thin sheet away from his warm body, but making sure not to uncover her. _

_"Because it's the same fence that my parents had, I don't know, it always made me feel safe." _

_"You lived in Mississippi, how dangerous can it be?"_

_"Oh shut it, like Australia has danger factor written all over it," he laughed at her defensiveness and couldn't help but see the same white picket fence that she saw, that they both dreamed about. _

_"White it is…" his voice echoed as she and he slowly and gradually faded, leaving everything but the sound of her simple laughter. _

"John, John…" a masculine voice rang in his ear followed by a thundering shake on his right shoulder. He swatted the shaking hand away and rolled on his back. Rubbing his eyes with both hands, John lifted himself from the bed, letting the blanket fall off his shirt body.

"What's up Henri?" John said while trying to hold onto the imagines of his dreams just a little bit longer.

"Jean Luc wants to see you, to make sure you're prepared," he said and stood next to John's bed like a soldier or a headmaster, waiting for the young mutant to take this day seriously. The day a Guild member performs their first multi-million dollar heist is a rite of passage that tests the loyalty and skills of a member and it annoyed Henri that the newest member was treating this day as if it was just another day.

"So, what did you tell him?" John asked, not really caring about the answer but more so amusing his brother with what he thought was an unnecessary ritual that was outdated.

"I told him that I taught you all that I can but it's up to you as to whether or not you're willing to learn."

Henri was so disappointed in John. He had so much potential but was lazy, unlike Gambit who knew his potential and did not hide it. Ever since Henri was made aware of Jean Luc's dealings with Emma Frost, it always was a trade off for Henri. One younger brother to another, arrogance versus lazy, a womanizer versus someone who seemed to not show any interest in anyone of the opposite sex, and it wasn't that Henri preferred one over the other, he just felt straddled between two extremes.

"You know John, it wouldn't hurt if you showed some interest in the family business," he said sternly, watching his charge walk to the bathroom and wash his face multiple times.

"Henri, can I worry about the Guild after I've had a shower?" He said it very smugly from the bathroom, apparently so disrespectful that it caused Henri to slam the door while leaving the room.

John will worry about Henri's mood later; it was nothing he didn't have to deal with already. Jean Luc, on the other hand was always more lenient on John than Henri was and if Jean Luc wanted to see him, he had better be ready.

Splashing his face for the fortieth time with cold water he looked at himself in the mirror, looked at all the lines around his eyes, the scar across his lips and wondered about his life and why he still could not quite fit. He didn't remember much about his past and waking up in the luxury room with the grand king bed felt out of place for him. Jean Luc and Henri were beside him, relieved that he was finally awake, almost celebrating his return to life. He remembered Jean Luc bringing the upper members of the Guild in the room and announcing that his son was finally awake from his long coma. He also remembered feeling Henri bringing him his wrist lighter and asking him to demonstrate his ability to manipulate fire to make sure that he was ok and nothing was broken.

John found it strange that even after Jean Luc and Henri explained his bad accident where he felt out a window during his first rite of passage and explained his lineage as a prince of thieves if you will; that he still did not feel like he fit. He was not use to the lavish mansion, the Cajun food that he found too spicy, or being waited on. What he did find comfort in, what was familiar to him was his ability to manipulate fire. It consumed him; it made him feel like he was home.

Since waking up and adopting to his life, there are few times that he felt like he was home, every time he used his powers and every few nights when he would dream. A classic beauty would be with him, would speak to him in a way that told him that she knew him more than he knew himself. They would find comfort in each other and John would dread waking up and letting her go.

He remembered asking Henri about his past relationships, thinking that maybe she was a girlfriend that he had before his accident but Henri said no, even when John tried to describe her Henri just brushed it off and told him there were plenty of girls like that, gorgeous girls that pave the streets of New Orleans, he just had to pick one. But John did not want to pick just any girl; he wanted the girl with the long dark hair and caring eyes, the girl that was his home.

"Another day then, John," he said to himself, trying to find the courage to start the day. "Maybe you'll get lucky," thinking that maybe today would be the day that he would finally meet his dream girl.

_X~X~X~X_

"Sorry, mon ami, maybe next time," Gambit said, not hiding his thick Cajun accent as he collected his winnings from the middle of the table, sorting the bills and pieces of treasures. The table full of disappointed men's eyes never left their belongings, an heirloom watch, a week's paycheck, even an engagement ring; all get taken from them in a matter of six hours.

Since Remy had found his way to New York, he survived the only way he knew how, by the flip of his cards and the confidence in his calculated steps. It didn't take Remy long before he found a contact and was introduced to New York's underworld of illegal gambling. Since then he had gained quite a reputation in the underground community. He was the golden child, everyone wanted a piece of his action to see if he measured up, to see who this newcomer was and if he was as good as they say, and they all would learn quickly that in order to buy into a game with Remy, they would need to be carrying a lot of assets, highly liquid and untraceable assets.

"Well, Lebeau here cleaned me out," Rob, an avid player announced before lifting himself up from his chair and reaching across to shake Remy's hand. "I'll get you eventually, Remy," in good humor he left the room. Rob was one of the many players that even after losing to Remy, he'd come back and challenge him a month later; believe that a month's worth of training was enough. Some of the boys he played were tournament poker players, testing their skills before entering a tournament to see if they would measure up and truth be told, playing against Gambit was the best practice they had.

"I guess I'll quite while I'm ahead," Gambit stated as he pocketed all of his winnings and got up. As he got up he flicked his wrist, and tossed the engagement ring back to the young man who was attempting to win enough to give his girlfriend the wedding of her dreams before he asked for her hand. "Make sure she's worth it," he said and left the room feeling a clean relief to be outside in the cold air and not in a stuffy room full of nervous, desperate men.

Strolling down the streets of New York, Gambit thought about where he was going, his stuffy motel, one of the few that accepted straight cash and offered long term stay plans. The truth was he could easily afford a much nicer place with prime location but the fact that he knew both Guilds were looking for him meant that he had to keep his identity to himself.

He saw a small bar across the street and suddenly the thought of going to an empty dirty motel room made him slightly depressed. He could stop for one beer, he thought as he approached the door of the bar. Upon entering it, the depressing stench of alcohol and loneliness glued itself to his skin. Along the bar he saw a row of men with their heads held down sitting over a glass of beer or hard liquor, always straight.

Looking at the dim lighting, the dirty floor, and the flickering of an old jukebox made him miss New Orleans that was always rich with celebration no matter what night it was.

"Glass of bourbon, no ice," he said to the bartender as he leaned against the bar, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. Looking around at all the men he wondered if the women in New York had a curfew. It had been a month since he was last with someone and that month ago was his last day in New Orleans. Thinking about his dry spell only made him crave it more. Gambit never had a problem getting women, the only reason he preferred women in a certain profession was because they understood that it was just a onetime thing. Other girls there were always expectations, they always craved attention from him that his lifestyle could not give him, nor did they interest him enough to want to call them the next day.

Taking a sip of his bourbon, he let his eyes wonder thinking of which barfly he would accompany home tonight to soothe his carnal needs. None of them interested him but a warm body was a warm body to him at this point. Thinking that he would go ahead and settle for the slightly overweight blonde with the thick eyeliner, the sound of the bar door opening and closing slowly behind it fell on his alert ears.

Turning his eyes away from the blonde to the small frame that was cloaked in a heavy jacket, every inch of her covered from the knee high black boots that she wore over tight jeans to the tips of her fingers that were hidden by long black gloves. He was curious to see what her face looked like but she kept her hood up as she pulled out a seat at the bar asked for a glass of water.

His curiosity got the best of him and he found himself in waltzing over to her. "Make it a cosmopolitan," he instructed the bartender, resting his drink next to hers, waiting to see her turn her head to face him. "That's the new fade for girl drinks are they not?" He said flirtatiously still waiting for her to turn to him and fall under his spell but to no avail.

"It's not necessary," she said, still not turning to face him as she waved her hand to the bartender, stopping her from making the drink.

"Aw, what's the matter, Cher? I'm sure a beauty like you is use to getting drinks from men." He was hoping his compliment would be enough for her to fall under his spell, like so many girls before her.

"'I'm not really interested," she protested, "and I don't drink."

"Then perhaps a ride home?" He insisted, finding himself in a position that he is not familiar with, the role of the one pursuing someone and not being pursued himself.

"Look," she said lifting her hands up to her head and pulling the hood back. "I'm flattered," she continued turning to face him, "but really, I'm not interested."

Gambit watched as her long dark hair cascaded across her back and fall perfectly in front of her face. He noticed the way her beautiful eyes looked at him with all the seriousness in the world. He was hoping that she would be plain looking or even ugly, to save his ego from its bruising by rejection but he could not deny that she was indeed beautiful.

"Can you at least give a man a name?" He still insisted and judging from her exasperated sign, he knew that she was caving in, slowly, like all of his conquests.

"Rogue," she said with a forcefulness that only made his body hunger for her even more.

"Well, Rogue," he said as he reached for her left hand, noticing that she flinched the moment that his hand reached towards her, "Name's Lebeau, Remy Lebeau," he silkily breathed as he kissed her hand, "and it's a pleasure to meet you."


	34. Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Eight

Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Eight

Homecoming

Previously...

**"Can you at least give a man a name?" He still insisted and judging from her exasperated sign, he knew that she was caving in, slowly, like all of his conquests.**

**"Rogue," she said with a forcefulness that only made his body hunger for her even more.**

**"Well, Rogue," he said as he reached for her left hand, noticing that she flinched the moment that his hand reached towards her, "Name's Lebeau, Remy Lebeau," he silkily breathed as he kissed her hand, "and it's a pleasure to meet you."**

_X~X~X~X_

There was a sense of uncertainty in the air that breathed like lightning and smelled of déjà vu. The familiar manicured lawns and paved walkway did not provide Rogue with a comforting sense of home but rather the tragedy of her youth. The palatial mansion of the Xavier Institute left a hard feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Wrapping her nimble fingers around the knob she twisted the cold steel and pushed the heavy door open, hearing nothing echoing in the halls but the sound of a television that was left on. Her eyes examined the room for signs of change and the possibility of something new. Marie took a deep breath trying to take in the reality of her return.

"Who's there?" A cautionary feminine voice demanded from beyond the dark halls. She recognized that firm and confident voice, a force in her own right.

"Is this how you greet an old friend?" Rogue turned around, smiling at the green haired mutant who did not look as sickly as the last time she had seen her or as confined.

"Rogue," Lorna said with an inquisitive pause, "Rogue! You're back," she said as she opened her arms and the two women embraced. "What have you been doing?"

"A lot of things," Rogue said, pulling out of the hug, "How are you? How is everyone?"

"One question at a time," she told Marie as she gestured for her to go down the hallway with her. "I'm doing well. Everyone is doing what they can given the registration act and all. We lost a lot of students but we're doing what we can."

Rogue knew where Lorna was leading her and it was a bittersweet feeling for her walking through these halls, the same halls that gave her cherished moments that were tainted by spoonfuls of sorrow. Stopping in front of the big oak door, Rogue took a deep breath before Lorna pushed them opened as a collection of dust and the smell of stale walls trickled into their nasal passageways.

"Just the way you left it," Lorna said as they walked in slowly, catching glimpses of the same white sheets, the same wooden desk, the same broken window that even after all this time was never repaired.

"You guys never gave this room to anyone else?" Rogue casually questioned as she grazed her fingertips along the broken splinters of the window.

"No, Logan said that eventually you'd come home," the green haired mutant almost whispered, her discomfort at the subject evident. "I guess he was right," she nervously laughed.

Lorna Dane could tell there was something plaguing Marie, something that brought her back to the institute but did not have the courage to bring up such sensitive topics before what she viewed as a very fragile girl. It's not that Lorna thought Rogue weak or believed her to be inferior; it was just strange to Lorna to see Rogue so broken over a guy. She found it strange if anyone would be that broken over a guy and Lorna cannot see herself falling apart for anyone.

Rogue casually walked towards the windows, grazing the tips of her fingers against the broken frame, taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes momentarily to absorb the wave of emotions that washed over her.

"Didn't even fix the window," she smiled meekly, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'll let you get settled," Lorna stated, obviously trying to get out of any potential uncomfortable conversations with the fragile girl.

Rogue, too, noticed the uneasiness that Lorna felt around her and the situation and just nodded in response, listening as the door crept closed.

Inhaling deeply, she tried to get use to the fact that she was back at the institution, back in her room that served as a reminder of all the wonderful times where her and John learned and grew from each other.

The bed where they would spend many long and sleepless nights that were filled with the youth of their love.

The nightstand that held many precious treasures from him, a handmade jewelry box, a sentimental lighter, a few burn marks from his wild antics.

The broken window that would tap late at night when he went out wandering and would sneak back in using her window but would never find himself able to leave her side after he made his way back from his long night.

She could almost hear the windows tap again as though he were hanging from the tree branch just outside, impatiently waiting for her to let him in.

_Tap Tap Tap _

She could hear it in her mind; no it wasn't in her mind. She turned towards the window, seeing a male figure in the shadows, balancing on the tree branch. She was hopeful, thinking to herself that John was alive and had found his way home to her.

Opening the window with a smile and wide eyes, she couldn't help but speak out, "John?"

"John? Ain't no Johns here, Chere, just a Lebeau." The dark shaggy haired man that she saw at the bar stated with such confidence as he moved his feet to balance himself on the large tree branch.

"What are you doing here?" She asked with disappointment. She should have known better when she first saw his shadowy figure. John would hang from the tree using his arms and upper body to support himself as he swung gracefully into her room. This Remy Lebeau balanced himself on the tree branch, standing upright and ready to jump in at any moment.

"It's some dangerous times, too dangerous for a beauty like yourself to walk home all alone. Remy just had to make sure that you were safe." He said as he gestured for her to get out of his, jumping into the window and landing on his feet, left foot in the front first, hands flat on the floor as he got up and stood tall in front of her.

"So, this where you live, all it needs are bars over the window and you got yourself a nice confinement camp," smiling as he commented on the security of the school. He made his way around her room, looking around, not asking her for permission, which she found rude.

"Well, it's a good thing you don't live here then," she said with a harsh tongue, annoyed by his presence.

"Now is that any way to talk to your knight in shining armor?" He said it so smugly; it almost made her want to slap that smile off his face.

"I didn't need your help but I do appreciate your concern," gesturing towards the window Rogue did not try to hide the fact that she was not comfortable with him being in her room. "If you don't mind, it is getting late and this is a school…" she tried to make him reason and leave but could see in his eyes that he was not convinced.

"And not just any kind of school is it? No, Miss Marie is at a special school. So tell me, what makes Marie a candidate for such a school?" He was trying to dig into her, make her tell him that she was a mutant.

"That's not your concern, now you better leave or you'll see the end of my patience and etiquette."

Marie did not know what to think of him, whether or not he can be trusted. He could have been a member of the Friends of Humanity and was angling at capturing her and possibly taking her into one of their concealed labor camps. He could have been an anti-mutant terrorist. He could have been a lot of things that worried Rogue and she refused to let him or anyone in.

"Ole Remy can take a hint," he said dusting his coat off and taking her gloved hands into his. "I'll be seeing you again Cherie," after placing a kiss on her hand he jumped out the window, landing very gracefully on his feet and ran off into the night.

Rogue was caught off guard by him. There was something about him that made her drawn to him slightly, it could have been his charming persistence, his handsome and rough features, or the fact that he was pursuing her and she was not use to being pursued so actively.

_X~X~X~X_

It had been awhile since the Scarlett Witch left her sacred grounds of Genosha. Under normal circumstances she would not have left her charges unattended but this was definitely an exception. The cool summer night breeze refreshed her face as she took another deep breath of the Parisian air. She had forgotten how much she loved Paris but knew that she could not allow herself to be seduced by its romance.

Hearing the small violin of musicians playing La Vie En Rose for the tourist, it made Wanda wonder why her acquaintance that she was meeting today would choose such a heavily populated coffee shop for their rendezvous.

"Wanda," a strong and feminine voice said as she sat down across from her as she took off her large round frame sunglasses, revealing a set of green eyes. Removing her scarf from around her head, a wave of long blonde hair cascaded down her back.

"Candra, how are you today?" She remembered the last time she saw Candra, Wanda was fifteen years old and Candra still looked like the same glamorous beauty and had the same youthful glow about her. But what else could she have expected from an X-ternal?

"You know, the same old, same old. How are things with you?" She waived the server away after he poured her a cup of rich coffee.

"Things are going well. But of course as you know things could be better." Wanda said with caution in her voice that Candra recognized.

"Right," she said and pulled out a wooden box from her large couture bag. "I trust you understand the precautions of the elixir?"

Candra handed the box to Wanda, who opened it slightly to view that the glowing liquid was indeed there before tucking it into her own purse at the very bottom.

"Did Emma seek you out yet?" Wanda asked but already knew the answer.

"Of course she did, she's quite the little bitch isn't she?" Candra said not even trying to hide her disdain for the White Queen.

"She knows when she's cornered," Wanda tried to defend but not really. "It's not her I'm worried about though."

"Right," the X-Ternal beauty interrupted her, "So tell me a little bit about this John. He's quite the commodity apparently in mutant and non-mutant circles alike. I've lost interest in political affairs awhile ago so if you can fill me in."

"Well, I'm sure you've heard about the mutant massacre and labor camps awhile ago?" Wanda waited for the knowing nod from Candra which she received. "John was there and furthermore it was all staged a setup for Sebastian Shaw to secure power."

"So why would Frost retaliate now? She's always attached herself to Shaw like the spineless bitch she is."

"If I were a telepath I'd let you know but I don't and right now all of the Hellfire Club could burn for all I care but John is a good young man."

"I admire your concern for these kids, Wanda, I really do. But I do worry about you. It's a dangerous game you're playing here."

"It's a dangerous game we're all involved in and believe me, I wouldn't do this if I had any other choices but we can only hope for the best. So are you with me Candra?"

Candra smiled widely which gave Wanda a reassuring feeling in her stomach, "Of course Wanda, need you ask? Besides, if it means sticking it to Emma then count me in."

_X~X~X~X_

**Well, I'm not dead. Please read and review also feel free to give me some opinions as to how you would like the story to unfold, or where you want the characters to go. I might incorporate that in as I don't have a clear direction yet. **

**Leah**


	35. Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Nine

Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter 8

Almost Lovers

Previously...

**"I admire your concern for these kids, Wanda, I really do. But I do worry about you. It's a dangerous game you're playing here."**

**"It's a dangerous game we're all involved in and believe me, I wouldn't do this if I had any other choices but we can only hope for the best. So are you with me Candra?"**

**Candra smiled widely which gave Wanda a reassuring feeling in her stomach, "Of course Wanda, need you ask? Besides, if it means sticking it to Emma then count me in."**

_X~X~X~X_

It was another rousing right in New Orleans. The tourists are lining up outside various bars playing the usual game of who can get drunk faster while the locals are taking it all in on the sidelines. John did what he can to avoid Bourbon street that smelled of sex and sins but Henri encouraged him to come out, explained to him how it's important for members of the Guild to keep up appearances so merchants and locals are still aware of the invisible power that the Guild hand had.

They walked along the streets and settled into a quiet bar. The minute the bouncer at the front door saw Henri he coward away. John could tell that the Guild attended this bar a lot with the silent nods that the owners and bartenders gave Henri and him as they made their way to the back of the lounge behind closed doors.

"Hey Henri, the usual," a man in a tailor made pin stripe charcoal gray suit asked while shaking hands with him, judging from his attire and his perfectly coifed hair, John suspected that he must have been the owner.

"You know it, Sam," Henri greeted him back and looked briefly at John, "Give my brother here something stronger." Sam grinned back at Henri and John could tell that they shared an inside joke that made him almost weary of drinking whatever concoction that will be presented to him.

After Sam went back to the main room, Henri gave John another judgmental look that he was all too familiar with and the only thing that John could do was roll his eyes at the seriousness of his brother.

"John, we're here on business, at least act a little bit more gracious. Sam is a partner not just some random merchant."

"Well, you didn't exactly tell me what we were doing here to begin with Henri, so excuse me if I'm just a little annoyed at all the formality." John was not in the mood for any more lessons from Henri tonight. It was late and he was tired. All day he had been running drills with Jean Luc to prepare him for his supposed rite of passage. A ritual that he does not care about nor does he think it matters to him.

"What am I going to do with you?" Henri said, asking himself more so than anyone else. The two brothers sat in quiet silent anger before a waitress who wore far too much makeup and could have used a few more inches on her miniskirt to cover up her other assets dropped two glasses in front of the young men. Henri 's glass was some dark liquor with ice while John's was a clear glass, no ice.

"Drink up, John, you're going to need it if you're going to survive the night." Henri motioned to him to pick up his drink as he held his up and tipped the glass as a sign of good faith to John.

"I wonder how I survived my life before," John said coyly as he took a long gulp of the burning liquor that made his throat ache. The drink was indeed strong and John knew he shouldn't drink anymore but he was frustrated. The days dragged on for him as the constant struggle of trying to identify and fit into his life start to grate at him until he could feel that he was on the breaking point. He thought about this as he took another big gulp. He took another one thinking about his frustration with Henri. He took one more gulp thinking about the Guild and another thinking about Jean Luc, and the last one he took that lingered on thoughts of the dark haired beauty in his dreams.

He emptied the glass and that was enough for him to feel his head twirl and his vision cloudy.

"John, you ok?" Henri asked concerned as he watched the young man stand up and having to balance himself on the nearby chair.

"Fine, just need some air," he said as he stumbled into the main room. It wasn't long before John lost all sense of his vision and his body met the floor with a loud thud.

_X~X~X~X_

"_Do you ever think about the future? Do you ever imagine or wonder where you'll be in five years, or six years, what do you see?"_

"_Do you want me to be honest? I see you….."_

Hearing the last lines he said echo in his mind, John's subconscious slowly drifted back to reality as he lifted his head from the hard floor, shaking it a few times, and opening his eyes. His body ached as he stood himself up in the dark room.

The room was decorated in dark and regal mahogany furniture and the walls were a burgundy that set off the color of the gold crown molding in the room.

He did not recognize the room at all but in his mind he knew it had to be in the Garden District with all of New Orleans palatial mansions and affluent families. Taking a moment to observe the room, his eyes directed him towards a closed door. He was cautious as he listened for any sounds and not hearing any, opened the door.

"What did Henri say about new environments?" John said to himself, his mind trying to remember the numerous tips and words of wisdom that his brother would try to beat into him. Remembering that Henri told him that when you're not sure of anything else, you're sure of yourself and what you're capable of.

Before stepping out into the hallway he ignited his wrist lighter that dimmed the area. He noticed a small flashing light in the far corner that caught his eyes, there had to be some kind of security in the area. If the room that he is in is any prediction of the extravagance of the house then he would not be surprised if security measures were in place to protect the treasures of the mansion.

Looking around the room, he grabbed a piece of linen from a nearby table and set the ends on fire, blowing on the smoke to direct it towards the hallway before smothering the flame to death with his will. The smoke clouded the floor just enough so that John can see faint traces of laser detection on the floor. The laser sensors were so elaborate that he knew simply walking out the door was out of the question. As agile as he was, there were limits to his abilities.

Ducking his head back into the room he closed the door and examined it a little bit closer with more details to try to find an escape route. He saw a large window that appeared to have no screen on it. Inching his way closer to it, he examined it a little bit more. It was a finely crafted French style window with reinforcements along the sill.

Without even second guessing he started to pry the elaborate security measures of the window off as though he had done something familiar in the past. His mind glazed over as visions flashed before him of his very hands doing the same thing but in a different setting.

"_John, what are you doing?"_

"_You said you wanted to go out, so I'm taking you out."_

"_Logan put that there for a reason; he's going to know it was you."_

"_Why should both of us have to live like prisoners? Your freedom's out there Marie, take it."_

Freedom, John thought about that word a little more as he pried the last remaining enforcements off the window. No one was ever free, people are free to run but you're never free from what you are running from. As miserable as he is with the Guild, he knew there was nothing left out there. He knew running meant running nowhere and to no one.

Carefully opening the glass French windows he looked down to see that he was about four stories up. Jumping down wouldn't kill him but it would sure hurt a lot and he might even break his leg. There were no trees, no pipelines, nothing to use as a climbing tool. Looking up he saw a balcony just within reach of him. There was a possibility that whatever room that balcony leads too will be less secure.

Reaching for the railings, he pulled himself up onto the large balcony and saw two sliding doors. The curtains that hid the room from the outside world moved softly in the moonlight as the dark imperial burgundy silk glistened against the backdrop of the night. His heart breathed the familiarity of the situation as his hand rested lightly on the cold doorknob. He had done this a thousand times before in another life when he belonged somewhere else, to someone else.

"_Shh…" He whispered, pressing his finger up to his lips, trying to steady his weight on the tree branch as his body swung in the calming winds._

"_John…?" She questioned as she pulled the curtains from her room to reveal her welcoming eyes as her beauty shined in the moonlight._

"_I told you I'd be here, I told you I'd come back to you…"_

Opening the two large glass doors and feeling the silk glide against his hands he almost expected someone to whisper his name. The room was dark with a few candles placed strategically on the nightstand and in various corners around the room. The light glow warmed the room and casted a shadow at the grand canopy bed. The figure sleeping under covers and covers of what looked like wool and silk didn't even stir as he made his way to the bed.

"_I don't know if I can do this"_

"_Don't unless you're sure"_

"_It's just…. Other than Bobby, I'm, I'm not.."_

"_Shh… you don't have to say anything. We don't need to do anything, I just want to be with you."_

He stood over the top of the bed, the only evidence of the person rolled underneath all the covers were strands of long blonde hair since their face was turned into the pillow. He was frozen in his reverie and didn't notice the figure below him stir and turn and fluttered her long dark lashes as she took a big inhale of breathe, frightened at the figure looming over her.

She heard footsteps crawling making their way into her bedroom. There was only one person that was that quiet and could sneak into her room unnoticed and she smiled a bit at the thought that he came back for her. She wouldn't go with him willingly of course, it would be against her female pride to let her fall into a man so easily and be called a whore. She would make him try to coax her into leaving, into giving up her bloodline just to be with him, knowing full well that she would do it every time. He was close now; she could almost feel him breathing above her, watching her, waiting for her to turn to him with her bright blue eyes that would always betray what she was trying to hide from him. Opening her eyes she saw dark hair and fluttered them some more to rinse the sleep out of them.

Who she saw was not her charming Cajun or rogue rescuer, but someone whom she had never seen before and with his messy hair, a deep scar across his lip, and empty eyes he frightened her to her very core.

Before she could scream she felt his warm hands place themselves over her mouth as he bent down to be eye level with her. Getting a closer look at him she noticed the emptiness gone from his eyes and they glazed with an almost longing, longing for something that she was not quite sure of.

"Shh, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm not going to hurt you either," he spoke with a tone that was anything but malicious. She felt her heart slow to their natural beat as he carried on. "I'm just trying to find a way out of here."

He moved his hand away from her mouth as she took one calming breathe, trying to compose herself. "Who are you?" She asked him, eyeing his entire frame, trying to size him up, trying to figure him out. He stood up and turned away at her question, letting the candlelight at her nightstand shine more directly on his face.

"John, my name is John," he said it so simply and without the reassurance that people tend to have when it comes to their identity, their name.

While he didn't possess the same rugged handsomeness and carefree charisma that her former lover had, she didn't let the fact that he had a certain dangerous quality to him that excited her.

It might have been the scars on his face, his battle worn eyes, or the messiness of his hair but she knew it was the way that he guarded himself that excited her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked it with more formality than anything else, frankly she didn't care why he was there, and she just knew that she had to have him.

"I don't know, but I need to get out of here. I need to go find my brother, make sure he's ok." He had values, he had loyalties and that only added to her desire for him.

"Who's your brother?" She was curious about him; she wanted to get to know him to see who he is, but most of all she had to have him. She was beginning to see him as another conquest, another figure to add to the trail of broken hearts and tormented lovers that she had paved in all of hers years since she realized the seductive powers that a beautiful woman such as herself had on men.

"Henri," he breathed out turning to her again. He was growing tired of this question and answer session and she could sense that. It annoyed her that he obviously did not see her in the carnal way that she was use to. He was going to be a conquest of hers, she was sure of it.

"Henri, Lebeau?" She watched him nod and it made a smile twitch at the corner of her lips. Of course she would be attracted to a member of the Thieves Guild, it made the most sense. They were the most stubborn and dangerous of conquests and she loves a challenge.

"You're a thief? Is that why you are here?"

"Look, I didn't take anything," he was getting annoyed at her, all he wanted was a way out and she was only prolonging that and potentially endangering him. "Can you help me or not?"

Ok, she thought to herself, she will play his game. She will give him what she wants, having been around both Guilds all her life she knew it was inevitable that she would see him again, after all, there weren't many places that Henri and his disciples hung around that she wasn't aware of. Gambit had told her all of their secret hideouts and hangouts and had taken her to them too because he understood her love of danger.

"This way," she said as she led him across the room to the fireplace that was lit only for certain special occasions when she felt the need to entertainment men. Pushing away a few logs, she revealed a long metal string that in hindsight looked like the chain that opened up the chimney to release the smoke. Very few people knew about the secret to this chain, and outside of the house, only one person knew and he was no longer welcomed in New Orleans.

Pulling on the chain the back of the fireplace opened that revealed a tunnel. It had to lead to the outside and John knew that because he could see the crushed leaves and smell the night air from the tunnel.

Before leaving he thanked her of course and that was the end of their encounter. He didn't ask for her name, didn't dote on her and asked when he would see her again like so many other men that she was use to. She walked to her balcony, feeling the cold air chill her bones underneath her thin nightgown.

She saw him running across the fields and disappearing over the gated walls of the Guild's land. He didn't know her, had no way of finding her again but she vowed under the moonlight that it won't be soon until he yearned for her, breathed for her, and the only name that would escape him would be Belladonna.

She knew it would not be easy but no one could predict the way her heart dropped into her stomach and swallowed itself upon entering the room. She could not imagine that with every step she made deeper into the room she would stop breathing for a few seconds before taking big gulps of air. There were no changes made to the room, it was left exactly the way he left it and that made her heart break even more.

She saw traces of burnt papers, small reminders of when his anger would get the best of him. The small hospital bed where she saw him battered and broken reminded her of his humanity after his descent into madness. In the middle of the bed there it sat like a flower that grew out of concrete, her duffle bag. She opened it up to search its contents, nothing really out of the ordinary, some clothes, a few stale crackers, and bottled water. She dug through it and the real treasure was the train tickets and airline tickets and stacks and stacks of cash. It was the last symbol of John's undying devotion to her, his trust in her and his desire to give everything up all so they could start a life together.

The idea of everything that was and everything that could be made her tremble and cry as she clutched the bag closer to her, letting the tears silently escape her eyes.

"Rogue," she heard the paternal patience of the wolverine cautiously spoke to her. Turning to him she held the duffle bag closer to her chest as Logan pulled her into a hug. She was finally grieving. After the event at the camp she was hallow and dutiful. She appreciated everyone's sympathy and concern. She didn't cry, she didn't accept it she just shut down.

"I don't understand it," her sobs muttered against his chest, "I don't understand him, we could have, we were, I don't.." All of her pain, all of her regrets and questions she was releasing it one by one and no longer letting illusion numb her from the world.

"None of us understand it, Rogue, it's ok, he loved you. That's all that matters, he loved you, he always did," the once savage mutant tried to soothe his surrogate daughter. He knew there was nothing that he could say to make her feel better, to take the pain away, nor did he want to. Having lived a long life that was empty for many years he understand the value of pain and the clarity it added to someone's life.

She pulled away from him slightly and wiped the tears from her eyes. Looking up at Logan, waiting for reassurance or encouraging words like she always did, Rogue felt exhausted. She was tired from the travel, tired from all the sleepless nights; she was tired of missing him that it made her body ache to the bones.

"You didn't change my room, or his?"

"No, this is your home Rogue, you belong here," he told her as if she could find some peace in his words. "We're your family."

"No," she shook her head, "I belong with him, I always have and, and I know he's ok."

"Of course he is," he tried to reassure her but was only met with her disagreement.

"No, I mean, I don't expect anyone else to understand this, but I know he's out there. I know he's ok and I need to find him."

Logan didn't know what to say by her statement. Was she delusional? Is she having a hard time letting him go? Has Rogue lost all sense of reality?

"Rogue, he's dead, you saw him die." He had to be stern with her and wipe away any thoughts she might have of finding him. She was his charge and he did not want her to fall into a deep plane where she no longer has the ability to sense what is real and what her mind conjures up.

"No," she said sternly, refusing to yield to his words, "You left him there. You made us leave, he was still alive and you left him." It was evident her words were traced with blame and honestly, he couldn't be mad at her for that.

"Rogue, there was nothing we could have done for him. There were other mutants there; we had to think of them too." He was trying not to get angry at her but it was becoming difficult. The wolverine had little to no patience to begin with, especially when he was getting blamed for something.

"Think of them; think of them, we're always thinking about everyone else but what about us? What about this so called family you speak of? When do we think about each other?" Rogue was yelling now, she was hysterical and there was no holding back for her. She was angry and Logan unfortunately, happened to be there when she reached her breaking point.

"Rogue," he said sternly, letting go of the little control that he had, "We're all family here, we always come first."

"Family, family," she interrupted him harshly as she grabbed at her hair with both hands. "This is not my family, this room, this house, YOU, everything here reminds me of nothing but pain. Ever since I walked into this place it has been nothing but a curse on me."

There was nothing for Logan to say, no words his mind could wrap around that wouldn't be considered too harsh, a retaliation or a rebuttal, so he simply said nothing and let her continue.

"The only family I ever had, the only place that felt like home to me, you made me leave. "

"ROGUE," he had lost all patience with her. There were certain people that can stand to be blamed and yelled at and degraded and can just simply dust it off their shoulders but he was not one of those people. "That's enough! I know you're angry but that's enough. You're not the only one that suffered; you're not a little girl anymore. It's about time you stopped playing the victim card and just grow up."

He had never yelled at her that way before. In all the years that they knew and looked out for each other he never was that stern with her and it made her at lost for words. If it were anyone else she would have spat back an insult, something hurtful but it wasn't just anyone else, it was Logan. He had taken care of her when her biological family abandoned her; there was an amount of respect that she owed to him.

There was nothing she could say to him, there was nothing she could do. Her fingers grasped around the bag a little tighter and she remembered there was always a way out. She remembered what John told her that there was always a way out and it was a matter of whether or not she was willing to be brave and take it.

With John's always present words guiding her she slung the bag over her shoulders and walked pass Logan, leaving him angry and fuming. She was leaving again, there was always a way out, John had planned a way out for them and the remains of his plan rested safely in the bag and she was taking it.

~X~X~X

"The ladies sure do love Gambit," Remy Lebeau spoke out loud to himself as he closed the door to the hotel room. He walked into the parking lot and lit a cigarette; taking a deep inhale he absorbed his surroundings. Two star accommodations with a five star girl, at least her body was a five star. She was a thin, petite girl with large supple breasts and wide hips that screamed high maintenance whom he found at a piano bar. He could have taken her to a nicer hotel where everyone would either already know your name or want to know it but his need for anonymity prevented that. He was sure both Guilds would have a bounty on his head shortly if they didn't already.

He had only been in New York for a few months and his routine of card hustling, booze, and endless one night stands was already boring him. That was the one thing he missed about New Orleans and his former life, there was always adrenaline and everyday there was always something different, a larger house, a more prized treasure to procure. The word routine was never in his vocabulary in the Big Easy.

Pushing thoughts of his former life from his mind he thought about the girl that was resting in the room, he can't seem to recall her name nor was it important to him. While her looks were exquisite her personality and level of intrigue did not make up for it and he could not bear the idea of having to wake up to her mindless chatter and society gossip. The idea of sneaking out and leaving her there crossed his mind momentarily, he did have a reputation for being a scoundrel, and he might as well live up to it.

Breaking him out of his thoughts were faint traces of yelling and arguing in the far corner. In a dark area of the parking lot he saw two figures, one clearly trying to dominate the other.

"I'm not asking for a lot honey, just a little." He heard the echoes grow louder as he silently marched closer to the scene before him.

"You're not going to get anything and unless you want to really get hurt, I'd suggest you back off," a familiar voice said sternly, clearly not breaking her ground. The closer Gambit got to the scene the clearer the two figures became and when he got his first good glance at the girl a small smile spread across his lips.

"We keep meeting like this Cher, it'd only be a matter of time before you fall for Ole Gambit," he said coyly, breaking the two from their confrontation and turning their attention to him.

"This is none of your business, buddy," the tall male figure said sternly as he pulled out a switch blade and aimed it high in the air at Remy.

"Seems to me when a lady says no and a man refuses to listen, it's everyone's business," he said coyly, the hand in the side pocket of his trench coat riffling through a deck of cards. "Now, you going to back off?"

"Why don't you make me," he said charging at Gambit with the knife. He never expected what he saw next and neither did Rogue. Before anyone can blink Gambit lifted his hand out of his pocket and a string of playing cards that glowed followed his hands as if floating in the air. He stretched out his arm and the playing cards were sent forcefully at the attacker. Each card hit him a spark of what looked like energy or electricity purged from him until he was knocked over and fell unconsciously on the ground.

After walking over to make sure that he had really subdue Rogue's assailant he turned to Rogue who stood there with wide almost shocked eyes.

"You ok Petite?"

"I'm-I'm fine," she said finding her voice at last. "You're a mutant?"

"Course," he said very arrogantly, "Gambit is naturally gifted. Seems to me like you are too, what with the school you be living at."

He noticed her eyes turn away at the mention of the institute and his eyes fell on the large duffle bag that hung on her left shoulder.

"Or were living at," he said as he walked a little closer to her only to have her take a few steps back with everyone one step he took. "No need to be afraid of me, a thank you would be nice, having saved your life and all."

She parted her lips slightly; rose colored lips that he noticed looked extra plump and welcoming. He could tell that she was the type of woman that should to be kissed and often.

"Thank you, but I would have been fine," she said and walked pass him towards the suite of hotel rooms.

"Hey, hold on now," Gambit said, swinging his coat over as he turned trying to keep pace with her. "What's the rush? Night is still young, there are drinks to be had somewhere."

"Actually," she said turning to face him, "It's late, after one really, and whatever drinks you find, you can enjoy it without me."

"Come on Chere, you really want to be at a place like this all by yourself?" He opened his arms out and gestured to the environment that surrounded them. She can recognize it was an unsavory place but he can tell that she would not budge.

"I'll be fine," she turned and unlocked the door as she said this.

"At least let Gambit make sure of it, room has two beds no?" He smiled thinking that if he were invited in; the second bed would not be used at all except maybe to lay his coat on.

She took a good look at the old and dusty room and back at him. It would be another sleepless night for her again filled with haunting memories of John. She thought about the situation more seriously and thought about what he could and could not do to her, she was after all untouchable. Rogue then turned to look at him with almost welcoming eyes.

"Ok," she sighed, "come on in," she opened the door wide for him and he happily made his way through. The blonde in the other room crept into his mind momentarily but he brushed it aside, he'll deal with it in the morning.

X~X~X~X

**Again, not dead just suffering from major writer's block. I need some inspiration please give me some thoughts. Please read and review**

**Leah**


	36. Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Ten

Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Ten

Transitions

Previously

**She took a good look at the old and dusty room and back at him. It would be another sleepless night for her again filled with haunting memories of John. She thought about the situation more seriously and thought about what he could and could not do to her, she was after all untouchable. Rogue then turned to look at him with almost welcoming eyes. **

** "Ok," she sighed, "come on in," she opened the door wide for him and he happily made his way through. The blonde in the other room crept into his mind momentarily but he brushed it aside, he'll deal with it in the morning. **

X~X~X~X

Logan was not sure exactly what had transpired between him and Rogue but regardless he was worried. She had been missing for almost a year now and when she finally does come home her grief or hysteria prompted her to leave again. Taking a deep inhale of his cigar, the only linger words that echoed in his mind was that she hated him. There had been times when she was angry with him before but she never hated him and that gutted the wolverine.

"Storm's going to be pissed at you," a strong male voice interrupted his thoughts. Logan turned to see Robert Drake walking casually by him to the refrigerator. The ice man's old habit that he had developed as a child of late night ice cream cravings had seen its way into his adult years.

"Pull out two bowls, popsicle," Logan said as he saw Bobby did what he was instructed to do.

"You know you're not allowed to smoke inside the school," laying out the second bowl of chocolate ice cream and a spoon in front of Logan, Bobby pulled up a kitchen bar stool and helped himself. The worry and tension in Logan did not escape him as he satisfied his late night craving.

"What is she going to do? Kick me out?" While his words were a rebuttal, Logan tossed the cigar into the sink and listened as it sizzled out. He grabbed the spoon and was hoping to be able to find what little comfort he can in sweets but the sugar and chocolate did not cover up the bitterness of his exchange with Rogue.

He couldn't find solace in sweets like most people can, in fact what he really wanted was a bottle of hard liquor but his new occupation of teacher prevented him from enjoying that. He could almost hear Storm's nagging voice of how he had to set an example for the students.

"I guess this is where all the alpha males hang out," Lorna Dane stated as she entered the room. Her presence instantly made Robert Drake's eyes light up and the corners of his mouth creased into a smile. She walked over to the cabinet but not without giving Bobby a caress on the shoulders, a light touch and simple gesture that was small but significant and told a secret about the lovers.

"You up too?" Logan stated sternly as he moved the spoon in his bowl around, watching the ice cream melt, "does no one sleep around here anymore?"

"Sorry, Bobby got me in the habit of waking up in the middle of the night," the mistress of magnetism said as she unwrapped a candy bar and took a big chunk out of it. "Besides," she said while chewing, "I had to show Rogue to her room and whatnot."

"Rogue's back?" Bobby's head jerked so quickly that it looked like a spring had come loose inside his neck and forced the motion.  
"Mmm..hmm," Lorna nodded and noticed how uneasy Logan became at the mention of Rogue. "She's probably asleep right now in her room. You were right Logan, she did come back."

Logan didn't say anything at the comment referenced to him and simply took another big heaping spoon full of ice cream.

"Is she ok?" Bobby asked, his eyes still wide at the realization that one of his best friends, his former lover, a girl that shared many significant moments in his life good and bad, was finally returning home.

"I think she's ok," Lorna answered him, concentrating hard on replaying her conversations with Rogue, trying to decipher if she was really ok or was still broken. "We didn't talk much, she said she was tired."

"Did she say anything about..." Bobby trailed off, the subject still opened up old wounds and not just about the person they lost but about the heinous crime of the labor camps. It was especially a sensitive subject for Lorna Dane who was subject to its torture and paralyzing atrocities.

"Like I said," she interjected him quickly. "We didn't talk much but she seemed ok."

"She's not ok," Logan answered quickly, very quickly that the two younger mutants noticed how his demeanor changed right away. "She's not ok, there is no way she is ok," he said with such authority.

"I get that it's harder on her than anyone else but it has been about a year," Lorna stated, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Rogue was still so broken up over some guy, especially at such a young age.

"It's different for everyone," Bobby added, silently reminding Lorna of how tumultuous their relationship was due to his lost of Kitty. "We have no idea where she was all this time so we can't exactly speak for her."

"We have no idea where she is now," Logan said it casually as the two younger mutants quickly shot him a concerned look. He brushed them off slightly and casually followed his statement, hiding any emotions or pain of having her leave again. "She left again, I saw her in Pyro's room and she left."

"Is that…normal?" Lorna asked, expressing concern for Rogue.

"For anyone else, no, for Rogue, well, I wouldn't associate normal with her," Logan stated, "look at the guy she's hung up on," he did not try to mask his disapproval of Pyro, nor did he ever.

"But in any case," he shoved the bowl away from him as he stood up from his bar stool, "we should find her. No telling what kind of trouble she can get into or have gotten into."

"Logan, you can't," Bobby interrupted his march towards the door. "You have classes to teach. Storm is going to freak out."

Just as quickly as he had gotten up, Lorna and Bobby can see him quickly stop and his head lowered. He had responsibilities now; he had people that depended on him. He didn't just have one charge that was Rogue anymore; he had a classroom of them who looked up to him. He was torn between his responsibilities to the institution and his responsibilities to Rogue. He was always going to be her surrogate father and responsible for her regardless of whether or not she was sixteen or sixty.

"We can't just do nothing," he said turning to them, hoping for a solution or at the very least, understanding.

"I'll look for her," Lorna interjected. She was hoping for this. While she enjoyed life on the campus and cared for Bobby, she needed a change, she needed adventure. Similar to Logan, she had a nomadic life before the X-Men and her mind craved for the same freedom if only momentarily.

Logan nodded, not exactly satisfied because in the back of his mind he was worried that not only would Rogue be exposed to danger and harm but now he was allowing Lorna to endure that same danger.

"Then I'm coming with you," the young man stated as he wrapped a protective arm around her. Lorna was surprised at how quick he was to volunteer, no not volunteer, but demand that he escort her.

"Just be careful out there you two and keep me informed," Logan gave them his approval to go and like little soldiers they marched upstairs to prepare themselves for such an unknown trip.

X~X~X~X

She was not sure why she did what she did but it was too late now. He was in the other room, undoubtedly getting comfortable. Eventually she would have to go out there, it was getting late and the bathroom tub did not make for a good mattress. The minute she invited him in her mind cluttered with doubts and second guesses that she flew to the bathroom and locked herself in.

She wondered why she did such a reckless and irresponsible thing as she sat in the floor of the bathroom, holding onto the duffle bag and using it as a sort of pillow. She knew why she did what she did and there was no point in trying to tell her that it was any other reason other than trying to soothe the sting of feeling completely alone and abandoned. She had turned her back on her last remaining family and at least for tonight, she did not want to feel completely and absolutely alone in the world.

She was impulsive and impetuous and it reminded her of him. Pulling the bag from under her arm she opened the zipper and searched its contents, pulling out the stacks and stacks of cash. She needed something to keep her mind from thinking about him and from thinking about the uncomfortable situation that was in the next room. Just a little under ten thousand dollars, John really did plan a way out for them. While the monetary amount seemed like a lot at the time she had to think about just how long it had to last her, a month, a year, maybe even longer. However long it took for her to either find him or find some peace with herself.

"Chere, you ok?" He rapped at her door that triggered her quick response in frantically shoving all of the bills back into her bag.

"Fine," she responded quickly and wiped at her eyes. "Just changing, can I please have some privacy?"

"You can have whatever you want, just say the word." Marie could also see the mischievous smile on his lips as he said this through closed door. At the very least, he made her feel comfortable enough and that was all she could possibly ask for at the moment.

She knew she had to come out from hiding eventually and the more she waited the longer it took her to get out of her mind and the feeling of despair, heartbreak, and grief. Her legs found the courage that her soul could not as she steady herself up and walked out the bathroom, cautiously carrying the bag low behind her.

Rogue wasn't sure what to expect from Remy, he was new, he was arrogant, but he was so sure of things and his life, a certainty that she wished she felt sometimes. She thought maybe after waiting for her for so long that he would leave. She half expected him to think that she would give herself to him all because he threw a few exploding cards at someone. She was not as vulnerable as he thinks and he was definitely not the savior she needed or was looking for but here they are.

"Look what wandered into our room," he said from his position on the chair. His legs were propped on the table with his hands behind his head, she could also feel his eyes on every inch of her body that was barely covered at all with her night shorts and a large oversized t-shirt, one of the few treasures of John's that she took with her.

"I'm not sure I follow?" She responded and let the bag drop to her feet as she inched closer to him but ever so cautiously.

"Something to lighten the mood no," he swung his lungs from the table and grabbed two glasses of what looked like red wine from the nightstand and closed the distance between the two. He held one glass to her and without waiting took a sip from his.

If she were a normal girl she would not have taken it the glass. He was a stranger and every newspaper headlines, books, and movies warned girls of laced drinks from strangers. But Rogue was not a normal girl. She was untouchable, infallible to some degree, and now she felt a sense of recklessness.

"Where did you get this?" She asked him as she reached with her bare finger tips for the glass.

"I have my ways," he said noticed how her hands were slightly trembling. He tried to steady them by placing his hands on top of hers and without warning; she pulled away, tipping the glass in the progress.

"Geez, petite, Remy was only making sure you didn't drop the glass, too late for that." The glass shattered into pieces and the color of the wine against the dull carpets made it almost homogenous to blood.

Rogue stayed frozen where she was as she watched the frustrated young man bend down to pick up the larger pieces of glass. "You ok?" He said as he reached for the pieces between her foot and watched as she backed away from him very quickly, almost too quickly that the ball of her foot smashed against one of the smaller shards of glass.

She felt the blood seeping out of her foot and into the carpet, it stung but he was dangerously close to her exposed skin that she refused to move. Marie focused on him and awaited his next move so that she can counter it.

"You're hurt," he said and tried to grab her foot but she kept backing away regardless of how much further the glass dug into her foot with every step she took.

He could sense her uneasiness and her slight fear of him. He was getting frustrated with her but at the same time her apprehension only made him crave her that much more. "What's the matter with you girl? Think Gambit going to hurt you?" He said it as he stood himself up, towering above her, almost challenging her to explain herself.

She backed away until the back of her foot touched the bed and sat down, relieving the pressure from her wound. Rogue noticed the genuine concern in his eyes and she wasn't sure why she did what she did but a part of her convinced her that if he really wanted to hurt her he would have done it already.

"I'm not afraid of you hurting me," she said as she turned her attention to the lamb, the bed, the kitschy painting on the wall, as long as her attention was away from him. "It's just I'm afraid of me hurting you. When people touch my skin something happens to them, they just get hurt." She said with all the seriousness in the world and expected to be taken seriously which was why it was all the more shocking that she heard laughter coming from him.

She heard laughter; Rogue heard a sharp comical laugh and felt his presence seat itself across from her in the adjacent bed.

"You and me Rogue, we not so different," he said with a warm smile that made her feel reassured that he was not someone who would try to harm her.

"This," he continued as he pulled out a playing card from his jacket pocket. He put it directly in front of her and she watched as it glowed with a pink and yellow energy that was almost hypnotizing. "Think this was something that I knew how to do from day one?" He concentrated a little bit harder and she saw the card floating out of his hands and self combusted into small flakes of paper. "Takes work, Cher. For a long time I was afraid of touching anything for fear it will go boom. So just like you I was afraid of touching people, of hurting people, only difference is you're only afraid of people, I was afraid of everything."

"How many years," she asked him, refusing to take her eyes off of him. He was mesmerizing her, the passion in his words charmed her soul and she wanted to learn, she wanted him to teach her the same control that he had.

"Years, in fact, Gambit still learning, no one ever stops learning Cher. No one ever stops growing."

"I want to learn," she said it as more of a command than an invitation.

"Well," he smiled and got up, opening his gloved hand to her, "You've found the right person then, Remy make an excellent teacher," he waited for her to put her hand in his and accept his offer. While she hesitated he could feel her slowly letting her guard down as she placed her hand into his.

X~X~X~X~

Someone had sold him out, he just knew it. When John stepped outside of the mansion and saw that he was on the dangerous and sacred ground of the Assassin's Guild he knew that someone had brought him there and set him up. He had heard the stories about many Thieves that had tried to set foot in their territory and the consequences of breaking such an unwritten law. Assassins and Thieves are to never cross territories.

While he didn't know who exactly was responsible, he knew who was involved, and it hurt it even more to think that his own brother would set him up.

He knew he was getting closer to the Thieves Guild territory when he saw the large palatial mansion and without thinking, just reacting he marched himself into the house and stormed into the grand meeting room.

"Henri," he said as he grabbed his brother and pushed him up against the wall, letting his wrist igniter flare up, the flame dangerously close to Henri's face.

John was so angry and betrayed that his young and irrational nature did not take in startled eyes of other gentlemen in the room, one in particular was not too happy to see his reaction.

"JOHN!" Jean Luc's voice echoed in the room as he tried to get the attention of the angry young mutant. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Why don't you ask your son," John emphasized the word son with such disgust. Henri was unfazed by everything and didn't even twitch as his face warmed and droplets of sweat start to drip off his forehead.

"Relax, John," Henri said as he pulled a ring out of his pocket. There was a proud smile that spread across Henri's face as he opened his hand to reveal a rather large gold ring that was encrusted with diamonds around a coat of arms that looked almost like a seal.

When Henri revealed the ring to the room, John could almost feel the atmosphere change in the room and out of the corner of his eyes saw the various men lift their glasses in the air at John. He extinguished the flame and relaxed his hand around Henri's shirt color, letting him go.

Turning around, John saw that he was surrounded by the powers of the Thieves Guild, territory leaders, decision makers, the very people that controlled half of New Orleans. They not only seemed pleased with him but raised their glasses of bourbon and liquid as almost a toast to John.

"I don't understand," John questioned as he looked to Jean Luc for some answers.

"You did it," Jean Luc said and came up to John to pull him into a proud hug. "My boy, you did it." He said and took the ring from Henri and raised it up to John's face.

"Did what?" John asked him as he looked closer at the ring and the distinct details of the coat of arms. It was the mark of the Guild.

"You passed, John," Henri said proudly behind him. "You passed your rite of passage."

"My what," he still did not know what was going on.

"You made it out of the Assassin's house, that was your test and you passed." Henri explained, "No Thief has ever escaped that dreaded place in as little time as you."

"That was it? That was the test?" John felt a little sense of accomplishment as Jean Luc placed the ring in his hand, gesturing for him to put it on.

"That was it, son, you're truly a Thief now," Jean Luc said proudly as he watched John slip the ring on his right ring finger.

X~X~X

**Hey everyone,**

**Sorry for the long wait. I've been busy with life but it has given me a lot of time to formulate and see where the characters will take this story. I am still up in the air about who Rogue truly belongs with. Any opinions? Please review, the more reviews I get the more encouraged I am to write. **

**Leah**


	37. Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Eleven

**Of Thieves and Martyrs**

**Chapter Eleven: Insecurities**

**Previously...**

**"That was it, son, you're truly a Thief now," Jean Luc said proudly as he watched John slip the ring on his right ring finger. **

X~X~X

"Where are we going?" Rogue asked Gambit as he led her out of their hotel room. It didn't take long for the charismatic young man to convince the already intrigued Rogue to pack up her things and change because they were going places. He was going places and taking her with him. As nomadic and lonely as his life is in New York, it would be nice to have someone around to keep him company, someone who understood him and did not have any ties to the world that they would miss.

He was lucky, he thought as he stared at the wide eyed girl, to have found her and to know that she was willing to let him be her guide as she explored the many layers of her mutation.

"Just follow Gambit, he know the way," he said coyly and stopped suddenly before she even had a chance to close the door to the hotel room behind her. She noticed that he kept his large body in front of her so hide her from the street. _Was there danger?_ She thought to herself and stayed hidden behind him as a precautionary measure.

"Back into the room, petite, there something here that I need to handle," he said swung his hand behind her to open the door, not breaking his position in front of her. She obeyed and stepped into the room, noticing that he closed it behind her.

Quietly walking to the window, she pushed the curtains open to take a small peek at what he could deem as so harmful that he would want to keep her away from it.

She noticed him walking up to a blonde and very hysterical woman. Regardless of her smeared makeup and mascara running down her face, it didn't hide her gorgeous face structure and stunning physique. Rogue wasn't sure why but she felt a little self conscious after seeing this obviously beautiful woman and the interacting she was sharing with Gambit.

He had walked up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders with both of his hands to calm her down. While Marie couldn't hear what they were saying, the expressions on their face spoke volumes. She was angry and hysterical and he, coy and not concerned.

The exchange between Gambit and the distraught woman ended with the swiftness of her hand as she slapped him in the face before returning to her room. Remy held his face for a bit to try to soothe the sting before making his way back to the room that Rogue secretly watched from.

"Angry girlfriend," it was the first thing that escaped Marie's lips before she even thought about it and thought about how ridiculous of a question it was for her to even ask him. She who had only encountered him twice in her lifetime, who barely even know him at all; it was absurd to think that he would owe her a response to such an intrusive question.

"Girlfriend," he laughed as though the world girlfriend was foreign to him, "Please, Gambit is too much of a scoundrel to have one."

"She didn't look happy," Rogue said it as more of a way to break the awkwardness of the exchange that she just witnessed.

"Here's a secret Cher, consider it lesson number one," he said and grabbed her bags effortlessly as he opened the door, gesturing for them to leave, "Most people aren't happy, at least not until they figure out what they want. Even if they ultimately don't get what they want, knowing what it is gives them the courage and freedom to keep going at it."

She followed behind him and couldn't help but ask, "What do you want?"

"Did I say I was happy?" He gave her his trademark smirk and closed the hotel door behind her as the slight wind billowed across the streets. He took off his long brown duster without even thinking and placed it on her, protecting her from the cold. As much as he wanted people to believe that he was a scoundrel, a playboy, an inconsiderate bastard, she felt in her hearts of hearts that he wasn't like that. Someone who was a scoundrel would not try to save and protect her on multiple occasions while risking his anonymity as a mutant.

X~X~X

"Here's to you John," Jean Luc said proudly as he poured the slightly intoxicated mutant another glass of bourbon.

"You maybe lazy but I always knew you had it in you," Henri gave him a brotherly shove as they tipped their glasses back. It didn't take long for word to spread that the Guild's second heir apparent has transitioned from just a novice into a fully fledged member. If anyone knew how to celebrate it was the people of New Orleans and within hours all members of the Guild were received with welcome into the house of Lebeau as alcohol and celebration poured and poured until every single member was either drunk on the dark liquor or drunk on the success of John.

No one could have been more proud then Henri and Jean Luc. He was their protégé and while he sort of fell into their laps, his success was in large part due to their relentless teachings and lessons.

"I learn from the best," John complimented Henri. Never in his life had Henri heard those words from any of his disciples and it made him even more proud that above all, John was humble.

"I can't believe THAT was the test, it was a piece of cake," John said with such arrogance and confidence that Jean Luc felt reassured in knowing that he was finally coming around and feeling like he was a member of the Guild.

John, Jean Luc, and Henri were in such celebratory bliss that they didn't notice the fading laughter and various conversations slowly fading as the sound of a single clap grew louder and louder. A tall slender figure approached them that was the source of the clapping.

"Congratulations, John," the smooth voice female voice spoke with a stern and serious look that refused to leave her face. John wasn't sure whether or not the crowd in the room was silenced by her beauty or by her mere presence. She radiated a strong sense of power like she commanded the attention of everyone in any room that she walked in.

"It's not every day that one of Jean Luc's proves himself," she emphasized his name and stole a quick glance at him. John wasn't sure whether or not he was imagining it but he almost saw his father cower slightly at the sight of the woman.

"I'm sorry," John said, trying to find the courage to be around her. There was something about her that made him uncomfortable, untrusting. He wasn't sure what it was but she possessed a vibe around him that screamed maliciousness. "I don't think I know you…."

"Why shame on you," she directed it towards Jean Luc again as she walked over to him and circled him in an amusing manner. "How could you not tell John that I was the one that took care of him while he was in a coma? I was the one that nursed him back to health."

While John did not suspect that what she said untrue, he felt that she was not the maternal, nursing type.

"Thank you," the young mutant said, "but I don't think…."

"You don't remember me? I'm Emma, your father and I are close friends. In fact we have some things to discuss." She gestured towards the other room and for the first time in his life John saw his father following instead of leading and it did not sit right with him that the person he was following was Emma Frost.

X~X~X

Just a little sample until the next installment


	38. Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter Twelve

**Of Thieves and Martyrs**

**Chapter Twelve: Lost**

**Previously...**

**"You don't remember me? I'm Emma, your father and I are close friends. In fact we have some things to discuss." She gestured towards the other room and for the first time in his life John saw his father following instead of leading and it did not sit right with him that the person he was following was Emma Frost. **

X~X~X

_"John"_

_"John, you're going to be late for work, Sam is going to freak out"_

_"The bar can wait, there's something more important here."_

_"What, the potential for unemployment?" _

_"Come in here and you'll see"_

_"What is it…oh my god"_

Rogue felt herself in between the plane of what is real and just a dream again. She wanted to hold onto those sweet memories but felt her eye twitch and her mind racing with thoughts of tomorrow, thoughts of the morning, and thoughts of the next hour.

Turning over, she felt her back ache due to the new bed and fluttered her eyes open to a dark wall with unfamiliar pictures and a desk that had just the bare essentials, a watch, a deck of cards, and a wallet. Gambit had led her to a dark alley in Brooklyn, where underneath a building he had a small loft.

The loft was bare and had exactly what someone needed just to get by if they weren't expecting company. There were no plaster or siding on the wall and the foundation and pipe fixtures exposed themselves. There was one small bathroom with a sink and stand up shower and one bed. Like the gentleman she knew he was capable of being, he laid towels on the floor next to her and offered her the comfort of his bed.

It was a strange feeling really, to fall asleep with someone watching her and she was not use to having such a guardian, at least she hadn't for awhile. She still could not understand what had possessed her to follow him, to allow him to lead her and almost give everything to him. But she knew why she was here with him. He had things to teach her and she so desperately wanted to learn.

She knew in her hearts of hearts that she will find John and when she did she wanted to be the woman in her dreams. She wanted to be able to love and satisfy him the way a woman should love a man and have the relationship with him that only made him crave her more.

Thinking about John and the situation she was in only made her feel ashamed of where she was and who she was with. She did not want to lose sight of why she came back to begin with, she came back to find him. Marie did not know why but she almost felt like she was cheating on John by being here with Remy even though she knew that she was doing nothing wrong.

Staring at the wall she made a promise to herself that above all her duties would be to find John so that they too can be happy because they deserved to be just like everyone else.

"Sun's rising petite," Remy spoke, his voice a little bit deeper from the morning dew as he sat up from the floor and rubbed his back and his head. "I don't know about you but ole Remy here could use a cup of coffee," he said as he got up and stretched to release some of the tension in his body.

"Remy, I just have to ask you," she watched as he took the shirt that he wore last night off and she couldn't help but stare slightly at his very well defined abs.

"What's on your mind Chere?" He took out a kettle and filled it with water before turning the stove, which was a mere five feet away from the bed on.

"Well," she wasn't sure how to answer him such a question without offending him but she could not help herself, "what's with your accent? Where are you from?"

He chuckled a bit at her question; she noticed it was a constant state of being for him, to always find the humor where she could not.

"Where do you think Gambit from?" He said with his usual cool charismatic charm that made her want to say that he was from heaven.

"Well, if I knew I wouldn't have asked you," she was letting her playful side show itself a bit, grinning from ear to ear.

"New Orleans, perhaps I'll take you there one day petite," he said to her and handed her a cup of coffee. Rogue, inhaling deeply, letting the hot beverage wake up her senses let the vows she made to herself slip into her mind.

"Can you take me somewhere else first?" She knew what his answer would be and even if it were an answer she did not like, she would still find her way with or without him.

"Just name it, Gambit at your service," He said coyly, almost feeling the unnerving scent of submission to her small summery voice.

"There's a small island of outside of New York, I… I need to go there for just a little while. Can you help me?"

"What island, Petite?" Remy said curiously, the only thought of any island off of New York that he can think of was of the massacre not too long ago, rebel mutants and god fearing humans. What Gambit saw of the violence, he seriously thought it would be the beginning of the end but that was followed by the silent cloak of the registration act and Sebastian Shaw's iron hand.

She looked at him with her large brown eyes and could tell that he knew exactly what island she was referring too. Rogue noticed that he nodded slightly, getting her small hints and voiceless communication.

"May I ask why an interest in such a….controversial destination? I hear the Caribbean's is nice this time of year, you, me, the beach….what do you say?"

She laughed at his attempt to discourage her from setting foot in a place that is the bane of every mutant's existence and the idea of taking a break and running away from all the pain crossed her mind briefly until the guilt of finding John washed over her.

"I want to go there because….well, I was there," she told him and waited for the stark look of shock on his face.

X~X~X

She had been pretty quiet ever since she confessed to him that she was a survivor of the mutant concentration camps. Gambit probably should have guessed it before why someone as beautiful as her would be so guarded. Turning his head slightly from the view of the small plane his eyes started to notice all of the little scars and fine lines on her face and wondered what the story behind each of those marks were before turning his head back to the clouds.

Anonymity is what they both craved and it just so happens that Gambit's small plane that he won in a high stakes game of blackjack would serve its purpose and serve it well. He promised her that he would help her find her strength and find her way to overcome the burden of her powers, he never imagined that he would feel such a strong desire to help her overcome the scared tissues of her life.

"Are we almost there yet?" She muttered to him, her eyes staying focused on the clear clouds before her, almost refusing to look at him.

"Close, petite, real close." He could sense the environment change and prepared the plane for its descent. Life was too short and too beautiful for her to be so cynical, he wanted to give her a taste of how charming life can be but also knew that she would not be receptive of his invitations until she can move pass her demons.

Moving the plane towards the island, he could almost see her face light up a bit at seeing that they were moments from touching land. That too made him curious about her, why would anyone look forward to coming back to such tragedy?

"Well, not exactly the Caribbean's but at least the sun is out," he said as he unlocked her door and noticed just how quickly she ran out of the plane and onto the field, moving pass all of the debris and destruction that he could barely keep up with her.

"Slow down, Marie, Remy not a sprinter," he yelled from behind her and saw her frame freeze before she took slow, almost agonizing steps towards a charred building that looked like it was engulfed in flames.

"Is this it?" He said huffing and puffing as he stood next to her focused self with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath, "if you wanted to see buildings like this, I could have taken you to some slums Chere," attempting at using his trademarked humor to break her out of her trance like state.

She walked slower and ever so closer to the door of the dilapidated building as her eyes shifted focus to the ground just outside the door. Almost possessed she collapsed to the ground as her hands dug at the dirt like a mad woman.

"He's not here, he's not here," she kept muttering and her hands kept digging at the dirt as she crawled on her knees from one place to the next.

"Who's not here," Gambit asked, thinking to himself that the experience of being in a place so tragic must have triggered something in her and she snapped.

"His body, it's not here," she crawled to the door throwing pieces of wood and bark and glass over her shoulders, not caring where they landed or who they hit. "He's gone!"

"Rogue," Gambit grabbed her shoulders roughly and turned her to face him, shaking her violently, "Whose not here?" He was hoping that seeing him, being focused on him and his eyes would bring her back to her senses but he could see in her eyes and her actions that she was getting further and further lost in her past.

"He's…not here," she screamed and clawed at his chest as long streams of tears started to pour from her eyes.

"CALM DOWN!" Gambit yelled, "Who's not here!" He shook her again hoping that she would eventually stop fighting him.

"He's…there's no…. he's gone," she cried as she trembled collapsed into him, letting him wrap his arms around her and stroke her hair. "If he's not here then he is alive," she whispered to herself, letting the possibility of John's return bring her back to reality.

"Who's alive, Chere?" This time Remy whispered it quietly, noticing her voice and body movements starting to come down from their frantic state as his hands continued to hold her and comfort her.

"John, my John, John Allerdyce," she stated the name with such assertiveness, a name that in itself every mutant knew. John Allerdyce, the man whose death started the cold war between mutants and humans.

X~X~X

She could feel him staring at her the way that any man would that it did not phase her nor did it offend her. She felt him glare at her ample breasts and noticed the way his eyes lingered a little longer then they should every time she crossed and uncrossed her legs under her long white skirt. The only difference between this man and other men is that he also radiated fear. He knew how powerful she was and that he owed her and it was almost time for her to collect.

"You throw quite the celebration, Jean Luc," she teased him slightly as she uncrossed her flawless legs and walked over to the window to view the wake of the announcement of a successful rite of passage for his youngest son. There were broken bottles that scattered across the floor, piles and piles of half eaten foods and drunk whores that were brought to entertain the men who found themselves fucked to a slumber or too intoxicated to be fucked that the men left him used and scattered across the rooms to fend for themselves once the party broken out.

"Only if proper celebration is needed," he told her with a wide smile on his face, not even trying to conceal the pride he had for his surrogate son.

"I take it the boy did well?" She said coldly, her eyes examining to room to find the young mutant who seemed to be missing in action.

"Better than expected," he said as he followed her to the window from his private room, trying to figure out exactly what or who she was searching for in the wake of the ceremony. "Of course," he stated matter of fact, "you knew that when you brought him to me."

"I knew what he was capable of," she breathed the sentence as she gave up on her hunt and glided pass him, letting her skirt brush up against his leg ever so slowly. "I knew what you needed and what you were looking for," she hoped on his desk and grabbed the crystal decanter that was filled with bourbon from behind her and poured it into the glass that state next to her on the grand desk.

"And what do you need Emma?" He said cautiously, remembering their arrangement and how secretive she was with her goals and what she expected of him during their earlier meetings. "What are you looking for?" As beautiful as she was, Jean Luc did not trust her, but who would trust a member of the Hellions? They were cunning and only looked to gain more power and control over the world by any means necessary.

"I brought the boy to you so that you can protect him, keep him under…" she paused for a moment, trying to think of the appropriate words to describe John's position and potential influence. "Under the shadow of the guild, anybody who is anybody knows that you guys have your ways, your outdated laws and that those are to never change. Well, I'm changing it now."

"WHAT!" Jean Luc did not understand nor did he want to. The way of the guild has been written for hundreds of years and had never been altered for historical reasons, the Thieves understood that without a code they would be just like common street rats and they were not, they were above it all. Some would say they were even above the Hellions themselves.

"Be careful, Jean Luc," she said as she stretched out her arm and with the flick of her wrist, the bourbon that she had poured herself smashed into the wall of mere inches from Jean Luc's head. "Remember what you owe me, I gave you a very powerful mutant for you to foster and control, I can easily take him back."

She confidently jumped off the desk and brought herself face to face with him, grabbing the collar of his shirt as she pulled him closer to her, letting him see just how serious she was, "You know what I want, and you're going to give it to me."

X~X~X

**Please Read and Review, I'm having a hard time finding the time and commitment to finish this story when I think there may be only one or two people out there reading. Someone is out there paying attention to this story right?**

**Leah**


	39. Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter 13

**Of Thieves and Martyrs**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Previously**

**"Be careful, Jean Luc," she said as she stretched out her arm and with the flick of her wrist, the bourbon that she had poured herself smashed into the wall of mere inches from Jean Luc's head. "Remember what you owe me, I gave you a very powerful mutant for you to foster and control, I can easily take him back."**

**She confidently jumped off the desk and brought herself face to face with him, grabbing the collar of his shirt as she pulled him closer to her, letting him see just how serious she was, "You know what I want, and you're going to give it to me."**

X~X~X

"One more," John told the bartender and watched as he poured the amber colored liquor into his cup.

His celebration party broke out awhile ago and while most of his extended guild family members have retreated to their wives or found comfort between the thighs of tonight's entertainment, John was ill with restlessness. Even Henri, who would never turn down a drink, was seduced by the feminine wilds of his wife of two years. John really could not blame him though, if he had someone he would turn to them too, which was why he was trying to numb the sting of loneliness with alcohol, he thought as he swung back the warm bourbon.

His taste buds were almost numb to the taste now as he gestured to the bartender to keep it coming. It did not matter that he did not have any money on him, or that he looked like a bum off the street with his ripped jeans and wrinkled t-shirt that was covered by an even more wrinkled buttoned down red shirt, tonight was his night and all of the French Quarter knew it. They knew who he was, they whispered about him as the second heir apparent to the Guild line and some feared him. Even though the feel of power was satisfying and he reveled in it, it was not enough to ward off the heat and mystery of his night dreams.

_"Oh my god"_

_"Marry me, we live together, we annoy each other, I never want to be without you, so why don't you marry me?"_

He still can't understand why every piece of his life seemed to fit except for her, except for the maiden with the long dark hair and beautiful creamy skin. She haunts him almost tease him sometimes with the hope of ever meeting such a perfect and welcoming person that just breathes comfort into his soul.

Just as he was drifting off into his reverie with thoughts of her, he found himself ripped from her world by a sultry voice and a delicate hand pressed on his back. It startled him so much that he instinctively brought his wrist lighter up ready to attack.

"Is that the thanks I get for saving your life?" The bombshell blonde said as she moved away from his stern hand, thinking he was ready to strike at her as if she was a man.

"Sorry, I didn't mean too," he said and lowered his hand as he turned himself around to focus again on his empty glass.

"So, John Lebeau, tonight must be your lucky night," she said in almost a whisper as she situated herself next to him and just within minutes, the bartender poured her a glass of champagne and gave her a million dollar smile. A smile that she was very use too, she was after all Belladonna Bourdeaux, power and beauty all rolled up into a 5 foot 9 frame.

"I take it even the Assassins have heard of my party?" He knew exactly who she was; Henri and John had long in dept conversations about the Assassins and how she was probably the most deadly of all because her hands had not been damaged by blood yet. Henri had told him, almost schooled him about people who had not had the stain of blood on their hands. He had said that people who have killed know their limits of how far they are willing to go and those that haven't you don't know until you're in that situation with him.

"All of New Orleans know about it John, you're quite the celebrity tonight. But that was not why tonight is your lucky night." She waited for him to sound intrigued and he noticed that she was waiting for his full undivided attention.

"Oh?" He had no pressing matters; he might as well indulge her and play along he thought.

"Tonight is your lucky night because," she said as she leaned in closer to him while placing her hand on top of his on the bar table, "You're here with me and I need an escort for tonight," she whispered in his ear and he could feel every syllable of her warm hot breathe and could almost smell small traces of her flavored lip gloss.

As invincible as he would like to think he is, John was still a man and he could not deny what her closeness and her feminine scent and beauty did to his body.

"Where to," he simple asked in his usual stern and emotionless voice without so much as looking at her. She was not use to that and it just made her try even harder.

"Where are you going to take me? It is after all going to be our first date," she said teasingly but he could hear the almost seriousness in her voice and felt her hand wander to his thigh under the bar counter, very close to the source of heat that radiated from his body.

"Aren't you afraid daddy is going to find out?" His masculine needs almost made him forget who she is and the ramifications her name had if they were to associate on a more social level.

"Please," she laughed lightly, "I have been doing whatever I want for as long as I want. Daddy is wrapped around my little finger."

He can see now why she had such an air of entitlement around her, it was one of the downfalls of being born to privilege, they always think they are infallible and never had to work for anything and John worked, Henri made sure of it.

"Looks like you have most of the guys here wrapped around your finger as well," he stated as he took another shot of the hard liquor, still not looking at her.

"And I chose you, so where are you taking me?" She pressed on, at least she was determined, John thought. Finally he turned to look at her, not with a smile or a lustful thirst but with contemplation. He was weighing his options, go home alone, drink some more, or at least extinguish his carnal rage that he had boiling inside of him.

"Your place or mine," he could almost see the envy in the bartender's eye as John said that and pushed the glass away from him, telling everyone that he was done there and that he was leaving with her.

Walking out of the bar, her arm draping across his shoulders he could already hear the whispers around him of a Lebeau taking home a Bourdeaux.

X~X~X

_ He's alive_

She kept telling herself and tried very hard to push back the other scenarios as to why his body is missing from her mind but regardless of how much she tried, visions of his dead body being dragged from the ruins and kept as a trophy or desecrated somewhere kept reflecting off the darkness of her black coffee cup.

After calming her down, after making her get on the plane, Remy had taken her to a quiet little Manhattan coffee shop that featured the comfort foods of a hangover. She didn't say anything for the past several hours she just waited for his direction and refused to look at him in the face.

Rogue knew that he must have had a million questions and she was thankful that he was respectful and did not push her farther than she could bear.

"How's the coffee, Chere?" Gambit broke the daunting silence and she turned her eyes towards him. He was asking her about her coffee but knew that he really was indirectly asking about her.

"It's fine, just a little bit cold, how's yours?"

"Bitter," he was making a reference to her and her mood. It was hard for him to gauge her emotions and in the last twelve hours she's been manic. One minute he can sense that she was calm and contemplative and the next she was hysterical, crying and speaking in tongue.

Trying to comfort her he slowly moved his hand across the table to try to cover her gloved one but instinctively she quickly moved it away and tucked her hand in her lap.

He knew she needed some comfort and reassurance but for some reason she refused to allow her the privilege of support from other people and it bothered him slightly because he so wanted her to trust him.

"What now?" She asked him trying to find direction or at least a distraction from her dark thoughts.

He chucked slightly at her question as if he was the one that was controlling where they went, so far she was leading and he was following. "You tell me, Rogue, Warsaw? Any other big events or wars in your life I should be aware of?" He was trying to make a joke but after hearing it out loud realized how offensive and insensitive he sounded. Gambit just hoped that she didn't think anything of it.

"No," Marie said quiet as a mouse, half listening to him and half still buried in her thoughts.

"So you and John Allerdyce," he took a sip of his coffee and noticed her eyes turn sharply to him at the mention of the name. That was definitely the trigger in her soul. Gambit never really paid attention to the media or the cold war because Jean Luc's connections always kept him hidden but now he wanted to know everything about this mutant martyr that started the unspoken war between their kind and average and scared humans.

"How did you two ever….." he tried to frame the question better or at least more considerately but it was hard for him not to just ask her how a man can be involved with a woman and refrain himself from wanting such carnal intimacy.

She smiled a small and sincere smile at the thought of all of those stolen moments and passionate nights with John and how whole she felt being with him. "The cure, I took the cure and before it wore off we loved each other in every way we can love each other."

"Makes sense," he nodded, "he's your first so I can see why you're so attached to him."

"He wasn't my first," she interrupted him, wanting to stop him from any premature judgment and assumptions about her and the man that played such an important part in her life.

"He wasn't my first," she stated again. "I loved him, I sacrificed years of my life just so I could somehow be with him in some way but I know he's alive."

"Ahh, young love, ain't it grand," he spoke with such mocking confidence that it almost made her angry. "Course, never fancied it myself, just find me a pair of nice pair of warm thighs to fun between then Gambit be happy." He took out a cigarette and rested it in his mouth as he searched his pocket for a lighter.

Rogue was livid that he would judge her so. She took the cigarette out of his mouth and ripped it in half in front of him. "No smoking around me and just because there are other people in the world that want more than just some warm body at night doesn't make them wrong or weird or stupid or naïve. If you're happy with your lifestyle then fine, I get it but don't judge mine. Either you're going to help me or I can do this alone."

Rogue didn't notice it but her voice heighten a bit and for once during the day she showed another emotion other than hysterical pain and solemn silence.

Gambit smiled at her breakthrough and wanted to give himself credit for being able to bring her out of her manic depression but will give partial credit to John himself. He made it a point to remember that the name John Allerdyce is the driving force in all of her moods.

"Gambit did say he would help and teach you the ways, Marie, question is we going to do it your way or mine?"

She knew the meaning in his words and she hated to admit it but he was right. If he was going to teach her control and help her find her way she would have to follow him and trust him to lead her in the right direction.

"We'll do it your way for now," she stated and gave him a very stern and seriously looks, "But one more comment about my love life and I am going to drain you until you're in a coma forever." She was trying to be tough with him but he saw right through her thin veiled defenses.

"Ok, hand them over then," he said and looked in the direction of her hands and she looked at him curious as to why he would want her to expose herself and potentially hurt him. "Trust me Chere, those gloves of yours, you're using as a first line of defense, let's get rid of them. I'm not saying be careless, I'm just saying trust me."

Rogue wasn't sure why and didn't even feel herself doing the actions but she found herself sliding the gloves off of her hands and placing it into his.

"Good girl," he said and placed his gloved hand on top of hers and wrapped her small slender fingers with his large masculine ones, letting her know that he would protect her if she would let him.

X~X~X

"Bobby why are we here?" Lorna Dane asked him as they pulled up into the drive way of a suburban neighborhood. The wolverine had sent them on a mission to find Rogue and after sorting things out with Storm and driving for what seemed like hours, Bobby Drake had taken them to a small suburb outside of Boston. Lorna was certain that Rogue would not be here, she was tied to finding John and this was definitely not the Pyro's choice of hideouts.

"I just have to make a slight detour. You can come in if you want." He said and opened the door to the car. She followed suit as he walked up the steps of the front porch and rang the doorbell.

"Bobby!" An older woman with long dark hair greeted him with joy in her voice as she stretched herself to give him a hug. "Who is this?" She turned to look at Lorna with a welcoming smile.

"This is Lorna Dane, she's my girlfriend," he stated proudly and saw Lila Cheney's eyes gave him a silly happy look. "Lorna this is Lila."

"Pleasure to meet you, Lorna," she said and pulled the girl into a hug. "Bobby has told me so much about you. Well, come on in."

Lorna was taken aback by the hospitality that Lila gave her, especially since they just met. She was not use to that.

Bobby walked in and sat down without even thinking about it as if he had done it several times before. She sat next to him, slightly uncomfortable at being here. Lily disappeared into another room for a few minutes and returned with a tray that had three cups of coffee and three slices of cake. She set them on the coffee table and sat across from them.

"So, what brings you here this time Bobby and without calling first, that's something new. Finally had the courage to introduce me to your girlfriend?" Lila joked and looked at Lorna who became three shades of red.

"Well, yes and also, I wanted to let you know that we're going on a trip."

"Oh?" She stated curiously. "What kind of trip, vacation, getaway, business?"

"Kind of business," Bobby was controlling and commanding the room and that was the first time that Lorna saw that in him. He was leading her, he was not acting like the shy and timid boy she remembered and had grown to love, and he was stepping up slightly.

"We're trying to find a friend of ours, Rogue, do you remember John and I talking about her?"

"Yes," Lila said as a wave of conversations between her and John crushed her mind. "John's girlfriend, is she ok?"

"We're not sure, she ran away because well, she thinks that John is alive and wants to find him."

"John's alive?" Lorna and Bobby saw hope in her eyes at the mention of the possibility of John's reemergence.

"Well, Lila, we don't know. She left before she can tell us exactly what she knows but if John's alive Rogue will find him so that's why we need to find her."

X~X~X

**Thank you so much FoxyRogue and LiveLove. Those two reviews gave me the extra push to be able to write this last chapter. More updates soon.**


	40. Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter 14

**Of Thieves and Martyrs**

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Previously...**

**"John's alive?" Lorna and Bobby saw hope in her eyes at the mention of the possibility of John's reemergence. **

**"Well, Lila, we don't know. She left before she can tell us exactly what she knows but if John's alive Rogue will find him so that's why we need to find her." **

X~X~X

It was a strange feeling for Lorna, being in the car with Bobby and going across country to try to find his ex-girlfriend. They had just left Lila Cheney's house after sharing menial stories about their lives and Bobby telling her it would be awhile before she saw him again. Then her little boy was instructed to come out of his room and away from his toys to say his good-byes to Bobby.

Lorna had never seen this side of him before. Sure, she knew he was a good obedient person but has never known him to keep any secrets from his superiors and a secret Lila was. He made it perfectly clear to Lorna the minute they stepped out of the house that no one is to know about her. He did not just request this of her but also demanded it which was something she had never seen him do before.

There were so many questions that she wanted to ask him, so many gaping holes in his life that she wanted to know about but at the same time was almost afraid to. He looked so stern and focused that she was almost afraid of breaking him out of his concentration.

"How far do you want to travel tonight?" Bobby asked her breaking the uncomfortable silence in the car. They had been traveling for most of the day and had driven as far as Virginia, without any real direction as to where they should be looking first.

"Depends where we are going I guess," Lorna stated, still hesitating and gauging what his mood would be like.

"I'm not sure; we're kind of just doing this blind. I really wished I had talked to her even had a chance to see her before she left." Bobby was clearly concerned for Rogue and it made Lorna feel like second best.

Everyone always talked about Rogue at the institution and always held her on some kind of pedestal as if she were perfect. Everyone loved her, including Bobby and they were just stuck with Lorna. She always felt like she was a pale substitution for their golden princess.

"I don't think it would have mattered, she still would have left."

"Yeah, but I could have gone with her, at least to make sure she stays out of trouble," Bobby stated, not letting his eyes leave the road.

Lorna glanced at the gas gauge and noticed that whether or not they wanted to they'd have to stop anyway. She was trying to ignore what Bobby said and how it made her feel. Everyone was always so eager to want to protect Rogue as though she were some damsel in constant need of rescue.

"Who's Lila by the way?" Lorna asked him just so she could change the subject. "She seems to know a lot about you and Allerdyce, X-men former?"

"No, she doesn't need to be dragged into our world, she's a good woman."

"We're all good people Bobby, what makes her so special?" Lorna was genuinely curious as to why he was so quick to protect and care for other women and not show the same concern for her.

"John, I owe it to John," he started, finally confessing his guilt that he had bottled up inside of him since the mutant internment camp. "He killed her husband unintentionally and ever since then he's taken care of her and her son. " She didn't wait for him to continue before interrupting him.

"What does have to do with you? He murdered her husband not you. You don't owe anything to him or her."

"No, Lorna, I owe him everything," he was letting it all out now, "I nearly killed him back at Alcatraz and I hated him, for the longest time I never forgave him for what he did. You know what though, Lorna?" He turned to face her momentarily, making sure she was paying attention, "He was the bigger man. He never started anything with me when he came back, he never mentioned it to anyone, never made me feel guilty about it….and really, he saved both of us. We wouldn't have made it out of the camp if it wasn't for him."

Here he was, Robert Drake, being the dutiful friend and putting others before himself. In a way John and Bobby are very much alike, Lorna thought to herself. The only thing she had to paint a picture and vision of the person that John might be were the stories people would tell of him at the Institution and various whispers among the underground mutant community.

They talked about John as if he were some mutant martyr, not perfect, but always putting what he thought was in the best interest of mutants and the people he cared about before himself. Bobby was the same way but without the recklessness and secure confidence that John had.

Lorna wondered whether or not Rogue ever felt like she always took a backseat to John's sense of duty and honor the same way that she felt with Bobby. But that was the story of her life, always second best, and always a few steps behind.

"It's been years Bobby; don't you think it's about time you forgave yourself?" She tried to console him but was more than certain it was to no avail. He just kept driving and just kept looking forward with no words shared between them for the rest of the night. Loneliness is not something that is felt by those who are isolated.

X~X~X

_So this is where the John Lebeau rests_

Belladonna thought to herself as she walked around the room, holding the sheet tightly around her to cover her naked body. After stepping out of the bar they both agreed that it would be safer to go back to his place that was still recovering from the thrills of his celebration so a lot of bodies would be too intoxicated to notice them.

They had just spent the last hour extinguishing the flames of their carnal and youthful bodies and he had crept out of the room to find some drinks to help replenish their hot bodies, leaving her here to examine a room that she was all too familiar with.

It was Remy's old room; she recognized its location, the grand canopy bed and the large mahogany dresser where he reserved a few drawers for her to keep her things in like a change of clothes, toiletries, or small little trinkets that she liked having around.

Pulling open the dark and polished bottom drawer of the dresser, she was curious if her things were still there and sure enough it was all still there. She was surprised that John had not noticed and questioned it before, of course she also questioned whether or not John used drawers, seeing as his clothes were scattered all across the floor and piled onto the top of the dresser as well.

They were so different from each other, Belladonna thought, and not just as lovers but their very personality and mannerisms were night and day, the transition of the room from Remy to John being a prime example.

Remy was meticulous in his arrangement and order of his belongings. He always needed to know where everything was, always needed to have some control of his environment and the people around him. John it seemed, just like his room, was destructive and reckless. Control was not something he craved or cared for, in fact she almost gets a feeling that he valued adrenaline.

"You ok?" John said, emerging from the door two full glasses in hand as he used his foot to close the door behind him.

Belladonna turned her head towards his voice to see him walk to her, kicking various articles of clothing out of his way.

"Yeah," she said as reached for the drink in his left hand that was extended to her. He started walked towards his large balcony and opened it to get a breath full of the night sky, without so much as asking her to join him.

She saw the moonlight reflect off his pale skin as the wind swayed his baggy shorts back and forth, a contemplative look on his face. She could not deny that he was very handsome even if he did have a habit of denying her his undivided attention.

She glided towards him, careful so that the blanket that covered her nakedness hung off her body carefully, not revealing too much but just enough to make any man's blood boil. But John was different; he looked more lost than anyone else she had been with.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked him, not exactly sure of what to say to him.

"Does it matter?" He said, not really in the mood for light conversation or to try to entertain her. The sole purpose of him accepting her invitation was for her to entertain him and she had done that. He really could not see much more of a need for her.

"What do you want John?" She had never in her life asked that question before. Belladonna was always the one to be asked that question that the taste of her trying to please someone else left a bitter sting on her tongue.

She knew she could give him the world; it was a matter of whether or not he was ready to step into her world, the world of the Assassins.

"Just some peace," he stated and then stepped back into the room, tucking himself between the warm sheets that not too long ago were tainted by the writhing bodies of their youth. He was tired now, she was a wild one and almost drained him of all energy he had. At that point, he did not really care what she did with herself as long as he left her alone.

"So that's it?" She said feeling used and unwanted.

"Stay here, leave, you figure it out," he said before rolling over again, with his stomach to the bed and his back facing her.

She felt disrespected, coincidentally enough, she was feeling what most men she left in her wake were feeling after she got what she wanted out of them. While she showed no sympathy to her past lovers, she expected it out of him.

"You're impossible," she said and crawled into bed with him, much to his chagrin. He gave her a look at pretty much told her to get out. "Either you're escorting me out, or I go through the front door for every thief in this house to see," she stated and pulled the comforter away from him, rolling herself over so that her back was to him.

She had a point and John knew it. What they were doing, what he was allowing her to do could endanger both of them and nullify their status in the community.

"I'll sneak you out the back way sometime tomorrow morning," he said and turned back around, lying uncovered. The cold air was nothing compared to her wrath, it almost made his body shiver just thinking about having to deal with her and her insecurities if he were to share a blanket with her.

X~X~X~X

"Rogue? Chere are you up? " Gambit said as he knocked on the door to her suite room. They had been living the low life for so long now that he thought he would splurge a little and get them a hotel suite with a grand common room and separate adjoining rooms at the Waldorf. He paid using one of his several alias of course because he could not risk giving away his identity and having the guilds track him down.

She opened the door, messy hair and bleary eyed with one of his old button downed shirts on that hung all the way to her mid thighs wrapped around her. One of the problems with their nomadic life was the fact that laundry facilities were hard to come by.

"Why is it so early?" She groggily said and walked back into her room, leaving the door open for him to come in behind her as he crawled back in bed, tucking her hands underneath her pillow.

"Not that early, petite, sun's already up," he waltzed to the other side of the bed, standing right in front of her face before the night stand. She opened one eye slightly to see him all cheery and washed up just ready to take on the day and truth be told she wanted to kill him for being such a morning person.

Last night was the first night in a long time that she had slept well. Shadow dreams of her and John or of John's demise did not creep into her subconscious and she did not find herself waking up drenched in sweat.

"Tell the sun ten more minutes then," she said digging her face further into the soft pillow.

"Shouldn't worry about the sun, worry about Remy's time being wasted," he said very annoyed at her laziness and took out a cigarette hoping that his violation of one of her rules would bring her to rise. He lifted it to his mouth slightly, waiting for a reaction from her but got nothing. Seeing a lighter on the nightstand he reached for it, getting ready to light his cigarette and that was what roused her.

Her eyes opened wide and quicker than he thought she was capable of she leaped out of bed and grabbed that lighter out of his hand, her slender fingers and polished nails scratching him slightly and almost drawing blood.

"Didn't know you were that against smoking Chere," he said with a smile, glad that she was finally alert and up.

"This lighter is not for you," she said and clutched it close to her heart with both hands. It had to be Allerdyce's or some reference to him, Gambit was sure of it. The only times she was ever that quick to react and not think about her actions was when it concerned that mutant martyr of hers.

"What happened now Chere?" He said very irritated with her attachment to everything of her past and it was evident in the tone in his voice and the way he rolled his eyes. "Gift from Allerdyce? Did he touch it once and you just had to have it because of that?" He was making fun of her again, she was getting use to that, expecting it even.

"It was John's," she started, again he can see her heart warming up at the small memories that were stirring in her, again he was irritated.

"It was his before he even met me. He gave it to me the night…." She was trying hard to finish the sentence. This was something new to him, seeing her pained at thinking about him. "The night that he left for the camp….and…" her voice was trembling now, "And… he told me he would be back, he promised."

He can see that it was painful for her to relive the moments where her world changed, where she changed and became this jaded woman before him. "Don't know that much about those massacres or Allerdyce but I can be for certain of something, Rogue."

"What's that?" She looked at him waiting for him to impart some words of wisdom to her.

"If I had a girl like you waiting for me, I'd never leave," he said with a sly grin and was happy to see a smile spread across her face as she shook her head in endearment.

"So…" she said with a more alert and upbeat tone," What's on the agenda today, teacher? Or should I call you professor Lebeau?"

"Dr. Love be fine," he said coyly, "Seeing as you're going to fall in love with me." He gave her a wink and she couldn't help but laugh and admire his cocky persistence.

"Ok," she rolled her eyes and kicked the blanket away from her. "Where to today," she asked as she hopped out of bed. He can see the outline of her full breast and supple nipples under his shirt that she wore so loosely and he could feel himself wanting to let her know exactly where he wanted to go with her but knew that she was better than that, better than him even.

"I still say the Carribeans, bikini, sun, but how bout we go and figure out that power of yours."

"Ok," she said nervously and started to walk towards him, "what do you want me to do?"

"Don't let go," he said and grabbed her exposed arms roughly, feeling every ounce of strength slowly leaving him as he pushed himself into her, both of them landing on the bed, his warm body lying on top of her.

"What are you doing?" She said frantically, trying to get him off of her but the weight of his body would not have it and his constant hold on her arms.

"How can you….control…." he was forcing every word that he was saying as his powers and memories and strength flooded into her, "your powers….if….you don't….use them."

"But you're going to kill yourself." She was worried; she did not want to hurt him. She could feel him crawling into her veins as her body and mind was flooding with the essence of who he was.

"If you don't want to hurt me then don't hurt me," he said sternly, his grip on her loosening. He was loosing strength and she knew that soon she would be able to overpower him. "Now, tell me what you see and feel."

"I see…" she said trying to concentrate on the bits and pieces she was absorbing from him. "An alley, it's dark and you're scared. You're hungry and…and you don't know what to do because everyone is afraid of you."

It wouldn't be long before she would be able to overpower him and push him off her so she can escape the guilt of potentially killing him.

"You…. You see someone, he's tall, thin and looks distracted. You're so hungry and cold so you walk by him but intentionally bumping into him."

She was reciting his first memory back to him and it scared him a little at how much he was exposing to her by doing this, how much of his life and vulnerability she would be privileged to because he was helping her. No one knew him, he had a volatile nature and he made damn sure that everyone knew that so they never knew what to expect from him.

"He's…. he's impressed, so impressed that he took you in….. Lebeau," she said very proudly, as proud as he was when Jean Luc adopted him as a small boy.

He was weakening, she had the upper hand now and both of them could feel it. She saw his eyes roll in the back of his head. She felt his grip on her completely gone as his hands dropped completely and she felt his head fall into the crook of her neck.

Rogue pushed him off of her effortlessly so that her toxic skin would no longer put him in danger as she pushed herself into the far corner of the bed, wrapping her arms around her, terrified that she had killed him as she watch his motionless body hoping to see signs of life.

X~X~X~X

**This writer's block is killing me but thanks for the few of you that had been following for me all this time. I really appreciate it.**

**Leah**


	41. Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter 15

Previously...

Rogue pushed him off of her effortlessly so that her toxic skin would no longer put him in danger as she pushed herself into the far corner of the bed, wrapping her arms around her, terrified that she had killed him as she watch his motionless body hoping to see signs of life...

Of Thieves and Martyrs: Chapter 15

Building Blocks

X~X~X~X

It has been awhile since he sent them to find her and still no word. It worried him that there was no word and the only thing he could do is sit and wait.

Logan, the wolverine, Rogue's surrogate father, was pacing in the headmaster's office just waiting for Storm to get back from her conference with Hank McCoy and the Mutant Conflict Intervention Committee.

It had been over a week since he sent Bobby and Lorna to look for Rogue and still there was no word, not even a phone call to say that they had some kind of trail. It was times like this that he really wished he himself was a telepath or that they hadn't lost Xavier or Jean.  
The cigar that he was smoking gave him no comfort. He knew that Storm would be upset with him smoking in her office and stinking up her furniture but he did not care.

The days seemed to drag on and on and he did what he can to find comfort and to ease his troubled mind. He took his aggression out in danger room sessions. He rode his motorcycles to all ends of upstate New York and every once in a while, he would end up at dingy bars asking about her and ending up in a bar fight.  
With no word from Bobby and Lorna, he thought it was time to bring in Storm and see where and if she had any relevant leads for him but still he had to wait.

"I understand that Hank but it's just so risky," Ororo glided through the double doors, standing side by side with Hank McCoy as they shuffled sheets of papers from the folder that they both are holding and exchanged it with each other.

"It's politics Ororo, of course there are risks."

"Ro," Logan shouted commandingly, disrupting Hank and Storm's train of thought and conversation.

"Yes Logan?" She said patiently, although she was quite irritated that he would house himself in her office and then command that she drop everything for him.

"It's Rogue, she's.."

"Alive? Yes, I know," she finished his sentence and can see the confused look on his face. "She's been with Wanda." She knew he would be furious that she knew more about Rogue's whereabouts for the last year then him but she cared and loved Rogue too and knew that if she let the Wolverine know where she was hiding that eventually, after a day, a week, a month, he would go after her long before her heart was ready to heal.

"Wanda Maximoff? That witch?" He truly wanted to use a different word to describe the woman that his surrogate daughter turned to for help when he couldn't but thought it best not to given Storm's close friendship with her.

"Rogue went to Genosha? You knew and you didn't tell me!" He didn't want to be civil anymore, he was angry that she would keep something like that a secret from him. He was angry that Rogue would turn to a stranger before she turned to him for help. He could have protected, he could have kept her safe, away from all of this.

"Wanda specifically instructed me not to tell anyone. It was what Rogue wanted. It was what she needed."

"I have a right to know," he stood billowing above her as though he were a strong storm cloud about to thunder and pour over her small body.

"What right do you have Logan?" Storm stood a little straighter and stared at him directly in the eyes, very intensely. She knew what she was about to say would cross the line but she was on her last nerve for the day and he just happens to be there at the right time.

"You're not her father, you're not her guardian. Logan, are you even her best friend?"

"Look, I'm going to find her without or without your help. So what do you say Ro? Are you with me?"

He was trying to be stern but polite with her. After all of these years of living together, Logan knew when the weather witch meant business. It was difficult for her to run a school all by herself and while he helped as much as he can, the wolverine knew that she needed more disciplined help.

"I'm with you Logan," she gave a very long sigh with it and put her and on his shoulder in a very comforting manner. "It's about I go visit Wanda again anyway."

X~X~X~X

The room was silently loud. The quiet noise of knowing absolutely nothing echoed throughout the room as melodically as the silencing noise of the heart monitor. The only other sound that Rogue can hear was the quick pace of her heart while her eyes never left the still body on the bed below her.

The events leading her here, back to this place, in this situation, was a big blur. Playing it back again in her mind she wasn't sure what she was more afraid of, losing him or having his memories submerged with hers.

After he collapsed on her bed, after she gained her composure, and after she called Wanda for help, something dark crawled into her mind. She couldn't decipher the various images or emotions running through her veins. The only thing she cared about was that he would survive.

"Rogue, Rogue?" Wanda's maternal voice pulled her out of her shocked state. For the first time in hours she took his eyes off of the unconscious man and looked at Wanda, whose face told her the stress the last few months have taken its toll on her beautiful youthful face.

"Are you ok, Rogue?"

"I'm fine Wanda," she said very quietly and redirected her attention back to the comatose man.

From the moment that Wanda received the call from Rogue, to the minute she stepped into the hotel room, she sincerely thought in her hearts of hearts that she was rushing to aid John. Instead she found herself in the presence of the few people in the world that can destroy everything she was building to save John and Rogue.

She knew exactly who Gambit was and almost laughed internally to herself. For some reason Rogue had a way of attracting disastrous men.

"Is he going to be ok?" Rogue slid her fingers underneath his gloved ones and grazed the inside of his palm slightly. Her body was yearning to be touched again. She can barely remember the last time her skin felt the warm of another. It was a lifetime ago when she cradled John's broken body in her arms.

"He'll be fine; I'm more worried about you. How are you doing? How are you really doing?"

The way that Wanda spoke so carefully and so maternally made Rogue think that she was a special kind of person, the kind of person who was mother to everyone and made perfectly and especially to love.

"Honestly," she barely whispered, "I don't know. I don't know anything." Rogue's concern for Remy Lebeau reminded Wanda of another time when she cared and comforted another young mutant. Wanda couldn't help but wonder whether or not Marie's heart was growing larger to make room for Remy or whether or not she crowding herself.

"You sure have a way of attracting street rats don't you?" She said looking closer at his tattered jeans and dusty jacket.

"Actually," Rogue smiled slightly, "He's rich, or rather he has money. It may not look like it but we've been living pretty well."

"How long have you been living pretty well with him?" Wanda was not only curious but concerned for Rogue. She had no idea the dangers of following such a wanted man down his tumultuous life.

Rogue thought about that for a minute and she couldn't really answer her. He just seemed to fit into her life that it seemed like he was always there, watching over her and helping her.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want too," Wanda said quickly noticing how uncomfortable Marie was with that question.

Both of their attention was turned away from each other and from Gambit's care when Wanda heard a buzz throughout her dark chambers. She turned her attention to the far wall that had the security cameras set up and Rogue could see her eyes widen. The syringe that she was holding fell quickly to the ground and shattered.

She turned her attention to Rogue and started to coax her towards the back exit.

"Emma Frost is here, Rogue you have to leave."

"Where will I go? What about Remy?"

"I'll tend to him, he'll be ok, you just have to leave," Wanda said frantically as she opened the back door and pushed Rogue through. "This will take you to the other side of the beach, there's a boat there, take it back to shore."

"But Wanda, Remy?"  
"Never mind him, take care of yourself, remember Emma is a telepath, you need to be out of her range."

X~X~X~X

**Well, there's another chapter. I'm sorry it took this long, life has been pretty busy and also I'm beginning to loose faith that there's people out there that's still reading this. I will finish this, even if it kills me I'll finish this story for those that have been wonderful readers and have been following this. You are out there aren't you?**

**-Leah**


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